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COMPRISING 


A  DICTIONARY  OF  NAUTICAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES;  BIOGRAPHICAL 
NOTICES,  AND  RECORDS  OF  NAVAL  OFFICERS; 


SPECIAL  ARTICLES  ON  NAVAL  ART  AND  SCIENCE, 


WRITTEN   EXPRESSLY   FOR  THIS   WORK 


BY    OFFICERS    AND    OTHERS    OF    RECOGNIZED    AUTHORITY    IN    THE 
BRANCHES  TREATED  BY  THEM. 


TOGETHER  WITH 


DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  NAVAL  STATIONS  AND  SEAPORTS  OF  THE  WORLD. 


COMPLETE   IlSrONE  VOLUME. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

L.   R.   HAMERSLY    &    CO. 

1884. 


Copyright,  1880,  by  L.  B.  HAMERSLY  &  Co. 


PREFACE. 


THE  great  abundance  of  encyclopaedias  that  distinguishes  our  day  would,  at  first 
sight,  seem  to  discourage  any  attempt  to  add  to  that  department  of  literature.  But 
among  all  the  works  coming  properly  under  the  name  of  encyclopaedia  there  is 
not  one,  at  least  in  the  English  language,  that  supplies  the  want  which  it  is  the  aim 
of  this  volume  to  meet.  The  sea  is,  so  to  speak,  a  world  in  itself.  It  has  its  own 
vegetable  and  animal  life,  and  its  own  natural  laws;  while  on  its  surface  floats  a 
multitude  of  vessels  that  serve  either  as  the  outlying  defenses  of  the  nations  which 
border  upon  it,  or  as  the  carriers  of  the  commodities  which  they  find  a  profit  in 
exchanging.  This  world  of  men  and  things,  so  peculiar  and  distinct,  necessarily 
has  a  peculiar  language,  peculiar  customs,  and  peculiar  belongings.  It  is,  more 
over,  a  progressive  world,  and  the  arts  and  sciences  that  have  relation  to  it  are 
moving  and  developing  pari  passu  with  those  that  relate  solely  to  the  terrene  por 
tion  of  the  globe.  When  to  these  considerations  is  added  the  fact  that  the  sea  is  the 
especial  field  of  operations  of  a  profession  which  unites  in  itself  the  characteristics  of 
the  sailor  and  of  the  soldier,  and  to  which  is  committed  the  high  trust  of  maintaining 
the  honor  and  dignity  of  the  nation  which  it  represents  in  all  parts  of  the  globe,  and 
of  extending  over  the  citizens  of  its  own  country,  wherever  their  business  or  pleasure 
may  call  them,  the  protecting  segis  of  the  national  flag,  it  would  certainly  appear 
that  sufficient  warrant  exists  for  the  issuing  of  this  work,  which  has  for  its  object  the 
bringing  together  in  one  view,  and  within  convenient  compass,  the  several  kinds  of 
information  most  useful  to  naval  officers,  and  most  likely  to  be  sought  for  by  sea 
faring  men  of  every  name  and  grade.  Nor  is  it  only  those  that  are  by  profession, 
or  calling,  identified  with  the  sea  who  will  find  profit  and  instruction  in  this  volume. 
There  is  a  large  and  increasing  class  among  the  gentlemen  of  our  own  and  other 
countries  who  cultivate  the  sea  for  the  pleasure  that  it  yields,  and  who  take  a  manly 
delight  in  the  danger  and  excitement  incident  to  sporting  upon  its  surface,  to  whom 
a  book  like  this  must  prove  an  auxiliary  of  great  value.  To  these  may  be  added, 
as  likely  to  find  advantage  in  this  book,  all  whose  business,  or  love  of  knowledge, 
prompts  them  to  investigate  the  science  of  that  world  which  has  its  habitation  in, 
under,  or  upon  the  waters  of  the  great  deep. 

We  have  already  intimated  that  this  work  claims  to  be  unique.  It  embraces, 
first,  a  complete  dictionary  of  marine  words  and  phrases;  second,  a  large  number  of 
original  articles  on  special  topics  ;  third,  a  copious  fund  of  biographical  data ;  and, 
fourth,  a  gazetteer  of  the  principal  naval  stations  and  seaports  of  the  world.  No 
other  work  uniting  these  several  features  exists  in  our  language,  nor,  we  think  we 
may  confidently  add,  in  any  other. 

Custom,  no  less  than  justice  to  those  whose  labors  have  produced  the  volume 


iii 


;i 


iv  PKEFACE. 


now  offered  to  the  public,  makes  it  proper  to  assign  to  the  several  collaborators  the 
credit  due  for  their  respective  shares  in  its  preparation. 

To  Mr.  Lewis  R.  Hamersly,  who  saw  service  with  the  navy  during  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  and  who,  as  the  compiler  of  "  The  Records  of  Living  Officers  of  the 
Navy,"  and  as  the  head  of  the  military  and  naval  publishing  house  of  L.  R.  Ham 
ersly  &  Co.,  is  well  known  to  the  naval  profession,  credit  is  due  for  the  conception 
and  plan  of  the  work,  and  also  for  the  preparation  of  the  general  mass  of  records 
of  officers  which  it  contains. 

On  Lieutenant  J.  W.  Carlin  has  devolved  the  main  burden  of  the  editorial 
conduct  of  the  work.  Besides  numerous  articles  in  other  departments,  he  has  ex 
clusively  written  or  compiled  the  astronomical  articles  and  definitions,  as  also  the 
entire  mass  of  nautical  definitions  not  herein  specifically  credited  to  others. 

Medical  Director  Edward  Shippen,  whose  biographical  sketches  of  distin 
guished  naval  men  of  our  own  and  former  times  constitute  a  feature  of  the  work, 
has,  besides  the  articles  bearing  his  signature,  given  it  the  benefit  of  his  editorial 
assistance  in  ways  that  have  contributed  largely  to  improve  and  perfect  it. 

Rear- Admiral  George  Henry  Preble,  besides  the  articles  which  appear  over  his 
signature,  has  contributed  the  definitions  of  naval  titles,  and  has  greatly  assisted  the 
work  by  his  advice  and  encouragement. 

Chief  Engineer  Albert  Aston  has  contributed  the  general  mass  of  definitions 
relating  to  machinery  and  steam-engineering,  and  Passed  Assistant  Engineer  L.  W. 
Robinson  has  also  made  valuable  contributions  to  the  same  department. 

To  Naval  Constructor  S.  H.  Pook  belongs  the  credit  of  having  furnished  the 
definitions  of  the  terms  pertaining  to  ship-building. 

Lieutenant  E.  T.  Strong,  in  addition  to  the  articles  signed  by  him,  has  con 
tributed  the  definitions  of  nautical  and  naval  terms  which  occur  under  the  letters 
K,  L,  and  T,  respectively. 

Lieutenant  F.  S.  Bassett,  in  addition  to  the  articles  which  appear  over  his  sig 
nature,  has  compiled,  or  written,  the  greater  part  of  the  definitions  included  under 
the  alphabetical  headings  F,  S,  W,  and  X. 

In  several  departments  of  the  work  Colonel  George  A.  Woodward,  U.S.A., 
has  assisted  by  contributions  and  editorial  supervision. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  principal  works  consulted  in  the  preparation  of 
this  volume:  Smyth's  Sailor's  Word-book,  Falconer's  Marine  Dictionary,  Burn's 
Naval  and  Military  Technical  Dictionary,  Cooper's  Naval  History,  Bedford's 
Sailor's  Pocket-book,  Luce's  Seamanship,  Nares's  Seamanship,  Totten's  Naval  Text 
book,  Dana's  Seaman's  Friend,  Harbord's  Glossary  of  Navigation,  Bowditch's 
Navigator,  Loomis's  Astronomy,  Peabody's  Astronomy,  Proctor's  Hand-book  of 
the  Stars,  Cooke's  Naval  Gunnery,  Ordnance  Instructions  (1880),  Lippincott's 
Gazetteer,  Wilson's  Ship-building,  Very's  Navies  of  the  World,  King's  War-ships 
and  Navies  of  the  World,  Knight's  Mechanical  Dictionary,  Sleeman's  Torpedoes  and 
Torpedo  Warfare  (Electricity),  Myer's  Manual  of  Signals,  Navy  Regulations,  Web 
ster's  Dictionary,  Worcester's  Dictionary,  Brande's  Encyclopaedia,  Chambers's  En 
cyclopaedia,  Appleton's  Encyclopaedia,  Johnson's  Encyclopaedia,  Kent's  Commen 
taries,  Sharswood's  Blackstone. 


LIST  OF  CONTRIBUTORS  AND  ARTICLES. 


AMMEN,  DANIEL,  Kear-Admiral  U.S.N. 
Balsa. 

Canals,  Interoceanie. 
Cushing,  W.  B.;  Commander  U.S.I*. 
Life-boats  and  Life-rafts. 
Marine  Rams. 

ASTON,  ALBERT,  Chief  Engineer  U.S.N. 
Compound  Engine. 
Compound  Screw. 
Condenser. 
Crank. 

Expansion  of  Steam. 
Marine  Steam-boiler. 
Marine  Steam-engine. 
Ship-building,  Iron. 

BASSETT,  F.  S.,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 

Barren,  James,  Commodore  U.S.N. 

Barry,  John,  Commodore  U.S.N. 

Bay. 

Cape. 

Continents. 

Currents. 

Decatur,  Stephen,  Commodore  U.S.N. 

Elliott,  Jesse  Duncan,  Commodore  U.S.N. 

Exploring  Expeditions. 

Fire-ships  and  Bafts,  Explosion-vessels  and 

Booms. 
Gulf. 

Hopkins,  Esek,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Hull,  Isaac,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Islands. 
Lake. 

Lawrence,  James,  Commodore  U.S.N". 
Oceans. 

,  Perry,  M.  C.,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Perry,  O.'H.,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Bivers. 

Boutine  of  Duty  in  a  Man-of-war. 
Sea. 
Ship. 
Sound. 

Stewart,  Charles,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Wilkes,  Charles,  Bear-Admiral  U.S.N. 

BELKNAP,  GEORGE  E.,  Captain  U.S.N. 
Deep-sea  Sounding. 
Navy-yard,  Pensacola. 

BLACK,  C.  H.,  Lieutenant-Commander  U<S.N. 
Compass,  The  Mariner's. 

BLODGETT,  LORIN,  Esq.     . 
Commerce,  Modern. 

BLOODGOOD,     DELAVAN.     Medical     Inspector 

U.S.N. 
Naval  Hospital,  Brooklyn. 


BROOKE,  J.  M.,  Professor  Virginia  Military  In 
stitute. 
Ordnance. 

BROWN,  B.  M.  G.,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 
Nebular  Hypothesis. 
Porter,  D.  IX,  Admiral  U.S.N. 
Submarine  Mines. 
Torpedo-boat. 
Torpedoes. 
Torpedo  Station. 

BROWNE,  J.  M.,  Medical  Director  U.S.N. 
Naval  Hospital,  Mare  Island. 

CARPENTER,  JOHN  T.,  M.D.,  President  of  the 

Pennsylvania  State  Medical  Society. 
Hospital  Gangrene. 
Scurvy. 

CHAD  WICK,    F.     E.,     Lieutenant-Commander 

U.S.N. 

Coast  Guard  of  Great  Britain. 
Naval  Training  Systems^  Foreign. 
Beserve,  Boyal  Naval. 

COCHRANE,  H.  C.,  Captain  U.S.M.C. 
Court-martial. 
Court-martial,  Summary. 
Inquiry,  Court  of. 
Judge-advocate. 
Judge-advocate-general. 
Marine  Corps. 
Oaths 

Pardoning  Power. 
Provost-marshal. 
Witness. 

COLHOUN,  E.  B.,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Navy-yard,  Mare  Island. 

COLLUM,  B.  S.,  Captain  U.S.M.C. 
Marine  Corps,  Foreign. 

COLVOCORESSES,  G.  P.,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 
Chart. 
Sketching. 

DICKINS,  F.  W.,  Lieutenant-Commander  U.S.N. 
Naval  Academies. 

Dow,  JESSE  E. 

Navy  Department. 

Navy,  Volunteer,  of  the  United  States. 

DULIN,  JAMES  C. 

Examination  of  Officers  for  Promotion  and 
Betirement  in  the  Navy,  Board  of. 


vi 


LIST  OF  CONTRIBUTORS  AND  ARTICLES. 


EMMONS,  G.  F.,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N. 
Navy  of  the  United  States,  1775-1812. 

ETTING,  THEODORE  M. 
Marine  Insurance. 
Maritime  Law. 

FARRAGUT,  LOYALL. 

Farragut,  David  Glasgow,  Admiral  U.S.N. 

FRANKLIN,  S.  R.,  Captain  U.S.N. 

Hydrographer  to  the  Bureau  of  Navigation. 
Hydrographic  Office. 

GALT,  W.  W.,  Assistant  Paymaster  U.S.N. 
Naval  Station,  Key  West. 

GLASS,  HENRY,  Commander  U.S.N. 
School-ships,  Nautical. 

GREEN,  F.  M.,  Lieutenant-Commander  U.S.N. 
Hydrography. 
Latitude. 
Longitude. 
Navigation. 
Sextant. 

HANFORD,  F.,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 
Naval  Lyceum. 
Navy-yard,  Brooklyn,  N.  T. 

HILL,  WALTER  N. 
Explosives. 

HOFF,    WILLIAM     BAINBRIDGE,     Lieutenant- 
Commander  U.S.N. 
Bainbridge,  William,  Commodore  U.S.N. 

HORD,  W.  T.,  Medical  Director  U.S.N. 
Naval  Hospital,  Chelsea. 

HUTCHINS,  C.  T.,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 
Anchor. 

JOHNSON,    A.    B.,    Chief  Clerk    Light-House 

Board. 
Light-house  Establishment. 

KIDDER,  J.  H.,  Surgeon  U.S.N. 
Dry  Rot. 
Yellow  Fever. 

KUNHARDT,  C.  P. 

Yachts  and  Yachting. 

LUCE,  S.  B.,  Captain  U.S.N. 
Administration,  Naval. 
Admiralty. 
Anchoring. 
Commission. 
Corvette. 

Emergencies  at  Sea. 
Government,  Naval. 
Mooring. 
Naval  Songs. 
Naval  Tactics. 
Naval  Training  System. 
Organization. 

LULL,  E.  P.,  Commander  U.S.N. 
Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey. 


LYLE,  D.  A.,  Lieutenant  U.S.A. 
Wreck-artillery. 

LYON,  H.  W.,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 
Guns,  Casting  of. 
Projectiles. 

MANSFIELD,  C.  D.,  Paymaster  U.S.N. 
Pay  Corps,  U.S.N. 

MASON,  T.  B.  M.,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 
Diving. 

Landing-parties. 
Naval  Brigade. 
Naval  Institute. 
Organization. 

MASSIE,  A.  H. 

Navy-yard,  Boston. 

McBLAIR,  C.  H. 

Navy  of  the  Southern  Confederacy. 

MERRYMAN,  J.  H.,  Captain  U.S.R.M. 
Revenue  Marine  Service. 

METCALFE,  HENRY,  Captain  U.S.A. 
Machine-guns. 
Magazine-guns. 

NELSON,    THOMAS,    Lieutenant-Commander 

U.S.N. 
Storms. 

NOEL,  J.  E.,  Lieutenant-Commander  U.S.N. 
Lead. 
Log. 
Navigator. 

OLIVER,  PAUL  A. 
Gunpowder. 

PEARSE,  JOHN  B.,  Manager  South  Boston  Iron 

Company. 
Iron  and  Steel. 

POOK,  S.  H.,  Naval  Constructor  U.S.N. 
Ship,  Launching  of. 

PREBLE,  G.  H.,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N, 
Admiral. 
Captain. 
Naval  Titles. 
Registers,  U.S.N. 
Salutes. 

SANDS,  F.  P.  B. 

Preston,  Samuel  N.,  and  Porter,  Benjamin 
H.,  Lieutenants  U.S.N. 

SIDDONS,  J.  H. 

Biographical  Sketches. 
Great  Britain,  Navy  of. 

SHIPPEN,  E.,  Medical  Director  U.S.N. 
Asylum,  Naval,  of  the  United  States. 
Bart,  Jean. 
Decres,  Denis. 
Doria,  Andrea. 
Duguay,  Tronin  Rene". 
Duquesne,  Abraham,  Marquis. 
Exmouth,  Viscount. 


LIST  OF  CONTKIBUTOES  AND  ARTICLES. 


vii 


SHIPPEN,  E. — Continued. 
Forbin,  Claude. 
Kane,  Elisha  Kent. 
La  Perouse. 
La  Vallette. 

L'Isle,  Adam  Phillipe  de. 
Medical  Corps  of  U.  S.  Navy. 
Medical  Officers  of  U.  S.  Navy,  Duties  of. 
Quarantine. 

Euyter,  Michel  Adrianzoon  Van. 
Sargasso  Sea. 
Ship  Fever. 
Sick-bay. 
Sufferin. 
Tourville. 
Tromp,  Von. 
Villeneuve. 

SIMPSON,  E.,  Commodore  TJ.S.N. 
Armor. 
Ironclads. 

SOLEY,  J.  EUSSELL,  Professor  U.S.N. 
International  Law. 

STEVENS,  T.  H.?  Eear- Admiral  IT.S.N. 
Navy  of  the  United  States,  1812-80. 
Eowan,  S.  C.,  Vice-Admiral  U.S.N. 

STOCKTON,  H.  T.,  Lieutenant  TJ.S.N. 
Armor,  Compound. 
Clubs,  British  Service. 

STRONG,  E.  T.,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 
Capstan. 
Dock. 


STRONG,  E.  T. — Continued. 
Masting. 
Masts. 

Preparing  for  Sea. 
Eope. 
Eope-walk. 
Eudder. 
Sails. 

Small-stuff. 
Tackles. 

Telegraph-cables. 
Getting  under  Way. 

TODD,  D.  P. 

Almanac,  The  Nautical. 
Ephemeris,  The  Astronomical. 

TRUXTUN,  W.  T.,  Captain  U.S.N. 
Executive-officer. 

UPSHUR,  J.  H.,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Inspection,  Board  of. 

VERY,  EDWARD  W.,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 
Signals. 

WHITFIELD,  "W.  E.,  Ensign  U.S.N. 
Naval  Station,  Port  Eoyal. 

WILSON,  JOSEPH,  Medical  Director  U.S.N. 
Hygiene,  Naval. 

WOOD,  WM.  MAXWELL,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 
Life-boats  and  Boat-detaching  Apparatus. 


THE  following  is  a  summary  of  the  contents  of  the  book : 

I.     A  complete  Dictionary  of  Nautical  Terms  and  Phrases. 
II.     Biographical  Notices  of  Distinguished  Naval  Officers  of  our  own  and  foreign  services. 

III.  Special  Articles    prepared    expressly  for  this  work  by  officers  and   others   of  recognized 

ability  in  their  respective  fields   of,  discussion,  and  comprehending  the  freshest  and 
most  authentic  information  attainable  respecting  the  several  subjects  treated. 

IV.  A  Gazetteer  of  the  Principal  Naval  Stations  and  Seaports  of  the  World. 

V.  A  Supplement  containing  concise  Kecords  of  Living  Officers  of  the  Navy,  including 
Captains,  Commanders,  Lieutenant-Commanders  and  Lieutenants,  and  Staff-Officers 
of  relative  rank.  The  records  of  Flag-Officers  are  included  in  the  body  of  the  work. 


viii 


A  NAVAL  ENCYCLOPAEDIA. 


A. 


A.  Abbreviation  for  after  in  the  U.  S.  Gen 
eral  Service  Code  of  Signals.  Contraction  for 
at,  on,  or  in,  as,  a-stern,  a-shore,  a-poise. 

A 1.  The  highest  class  of  excellence  in  mer 
chant  vessels.  See  CLASSIFICATION  OF  MER 
CHANT  VESSELS. 

Aalborg.  A  city  and  seaport  of  Denmark,  in 
Jutland,  on  the  south  shore  of  the  Lymfiord, 
near  its  mouth,  in  the  Cattegat.  Lat.  57°  2' 
46"  N. ;  Ion.  9°  55'  38"  E.  Pop.  11,721. 

Aarhuus.  A  seaport  of  Denmark,  in  Jutland, 
on  the  Cattegat,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Molle-Aue, 
37  miles  S.E.  of  Viborg.  Lat.  56°  9'  27"  N. ; 
Ion.  10°  12'  46"  E.  Pop.  15,000. 

A.  B.  An  abbreviation  signifying  Able  Sea 
man.  See  ABLE. 

Abab.  A  Turkish  sailor  who  plies  in  coasting 
craft. 

Aback.  The  situation  of  a  sail  when  the  wind 
acts  on  its  forward  surface.  The  sails  are  laid 
aback,  or  thrown  aback,  by  hauling  in  the  weather- 
braces  or  by  putting  the  helm  down,  or  both. 
They  are  caught  aback,  or  taken  aback,  by  a  shift 
of  wind,  or  by  inattention  at  the  helm.  Flat 
aback  means  that  the  wind  acts  nearly  at  a  right 
angle  to  the  forward  surface  of  the  sail.  Taken 
aback  is  also  used  figuratively  for  being  taken  by 
surprise.  All  aback  forward  is  the  notice  from 
the  forecastle  that  the  head-sails  have  been  taken 
aback.  Brace  aback  is  the  order  given  to  swing 
the  yards  and  lay  the  sails  aback. 

Abaft.  Behind.  Abaft  the  beam,  astern  of  a 
line  forming  a  right  angle  with  the  keel. 

Abaka.  "The  fibre  of  which  Manilla  rope  is 
made. 

Abandon.  To  relinquish  to  underwriters  all 
claim  to  property  which  may  be  recovered  from 
shipwreck,  capture,  or  any  other  peril  stated  in 
the  policy.  To  desert  a  vessel  on  account  of  the 
danger  in  remaining  on  board. 

Abatement.  A  demand  for  a  reduction  of 
freight  when  unforeseen  causes  have  delayed  or 
hindered  the  performance  of  a  stipulated  charter- 
party. 

Abeam.  Opposite  the  centre  of  the  ship's 
side ;  on  a  line  which  forms  a  right  angle  with 
the  keel. 

Aberration.  The  apparent  displacement  of 
the  stars,  caused  by  the  motion  of  the  earth 
combined  with  the  motion  of  light.  The  devia 


tion  of  the  rays  of  light  from  the  principal  focus 
of  a  lens. 

Abet.     To  excite,  encourage,  or  assist. 

Able.  Competent ;  strong.  Able  Seaman,  a 
rating  on  the  ship's  books.  He  must  be  compe 
tent  to  perform  all  the  duties  required  of  a  sailor. 

Able-whackets.  A  sea  game,  in  which  the 
loser  is  beaten  over  the  hands  with  a  handker 
chief,  tightly  twisted. 

Aboard.  On  board ;  inside,  or  upon  a  ship. 
Residing  afloat.  To  keep  the  land  aboard  is  to 
hug  the  shore.  To  fall  aboard  of  is  for  one 
vessel  to  foul  another.  To  lay  an  enemy  aboard 
is  to  run  into  or  alongside  of  him.  To  haul  the 
tacks  aboard  is  to  set  the  courses. 

About.  To  go  about  is  to  change  the  course  of 
a  ship  by  tacking.  Ready  about,  or  'boutship,  is 
the  order  to  prepare  for  tacking. 

Abox.  The  position  of  the  head-yards  when 
they  are  braced  aback,  the  after-sails  remaining 
full.  Brace-abox,  the  order  to  lay  the  head-yards 
abox.  This  is  done  in  boxhauling  and  occa 
sionally  in  heaving-to,  but  is  more  generally 
done  to  box  the  ship's  head  off  from  the  wind 
after  she  has  been  caught  aback,  or  after  she  has 
missed  stays. 

Abraham-men.  An  English  cant  term  for 
vagabonds  who,  under  pretence  of  being  desti 
tute  mariners,  beg  about  the  dock.  A  malin 
gerer  wanting  to  go  on  the  sick-list  is  said  to 
"sham  Abraham." 

Abrase.     To  dub  or  smooth  planks. 

Abreast.  Side  by  side ;  opposite  to ;  parallel 
with.  Line  abreast,  a  formation  in  which  the 
ships  are  abeam  of  each  other. 

Abri.  (Fr.)  Cove;  shelter;  under  the  lee; 
a  safe  anchorage  on  a  weather  shore. 

Abrid.     A  pintle-plate. 

Abroach.     On  tap  ;  in  use. 

Abroad.  On  a  foreign  station  ;  in  a  foreign 
country.  An  old  word  for  spread;  as,  all  sail 
abroad, 

Abrupt.  Steep  ;  broken  ;  craggy  ;  as,  of  cliffs 
and  headlands. 

Absence.  State  of  being  absent.  Leave  of 
absence,  permission  of  the  proper  authority  to  be 
absent  from  post  or  duty  for  a  specified  time. 
Absence  without  leave,  with  manifest  intention 
not  to  return,  is  desertion.  When  there  is  a 
probability  that  the  party  intends  to  return,  he 

13 


ABSORPTION 


14 


ACADEMIES 


is  to  be  considered  a  straggler  for  ten  days,  at 
the  expiration  of  which  he  is  to  be  regarded  as  a 
deserter. 

Absorption.  A  term  formerly  used  for  the 
sinking  of  islands  and  tracts  of  land  Subsi 
dence. 

Abstract.  An  abridgment  of  the  contents 
of  a  book  or  document. 

A-burton.  The  situation  of  casks  when 
stowed  athwartships. 

Abut.  When  two  planks  are  joined  endwise 
they  are  said  to  butt  or  abut  against  each  other. 
Abutting-joint  is  a  joint  where  the  pieces  come 
together  at  a  right  angle. 

Abutment.     The  breech-block  of  a  fire-arm. 

Abyme.  The  site  of  constant  whirlpools,  as 
the  Maelstrom  was  supposed  to  be.  An  abyss. 

Abyss.     A  depth  without  bottom. 

Academies,  Naval.  The  United  States  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis  was  founded  and  formally 
opened  on  October  10,  1845.  On  August  7,  1845, 
Mr.  George  Bancroft,  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
under  President  James  K.  Polk,  issued  instruc 
tions  to  Commander  Buchanan  for  the  opening 
of  the  school.  The  War  Department  had  pre 
viously  transferred  to  the  naval  authorities  the 
site  and  buildings  of  Fort  Severn,  one  of  the 
defenses  of  Annapolis  harbor,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Severn  Kiver,  in  the  State  of  Maryland. 
The  first  step  was  to  collect  the  midshipmen, 
who,  from  time  to  time,  were  on  shore,  and  give 
them  occupation  in  the  study  of  subjects  essential 
to  the  education  of  a  naval  officer.  In  October, 
1849,  a  board  of  officers  was  convened  to  reor 
ganize  the  institution,  and  to  make  it  conform, 
as  nearly  as  possible,  to  the  system  pursued  at 
the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point.  The 
course  of  instruction  and  the  regulations  were 
revised,  and  the  title  of  the  institution  was 
changed  from  Naval  School  to  U.  S.  Naval 
Academy.  In  November,  1851,  the  course  of 
study  was  fixed  at  four  years.  A  practice-vessel 
was  attached  to  the  Academy  for  summer  cruis 
ing,  and  a  Board  of  Visitors  was  provided  for, 
to  attend  the  annual  examinations,  and  to  report 
upon  the  condition  of  the  school.  After  the 
breaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  in  May,  1861,  the 
Academy,  with  all  its  apparatus  and  personnel, 
was  transferred  to  Newport,  R.  I.,  where  it  re 
mained  until  September,  1865,  when  it  was  re 
turned  to  Annapolis.  The  programme  of  studies 
was  then  rearranged  to  conform  more  closely  to 
modern  ideas,  and  remains  practically  unaltered 
at  this  date.  The  course  of  instruction  embraces 
the  following  studies,  viz. :  seamanship,  which 
includes  naval  construction,  naval  tactics,  prac 
tical  exercises,  signals,  swimming,  gymnastics, 
etc. ;  ordnance  and  gunnery,  which  includes 
infantry  tactics,  field-artillery  and  boat-howitzer 
exercise, great  guns,  mortar  practice,  and  fencing; 
mathematics,  which  comprises  algebra,  geometry, 
trigonometry,  analytical  geometry,  descriptive 
geometry,  and  calculus  ;  steam  engineering,  com 
prising  practical  exercises,  theory  of  steam-engine, 
and  fabrication  and  designing  of  machinery  ; 
astronomy,  navigation,  and  surveying;  physics 
and  chemistry ;  mechanics  and  applied  mathe 
matics,  which  includes,  besides  mechanics,  the 
differential  and  integral  calculus,  and  theoretical 
naval  architecture;  English  studies,  history  and 
law ;  modern  languages,  French  and  Spanish ; 
drawing,  comprising  right-line,  free-hand  and 


perspective,  topographical,  and  chart  making. 
On  June  1,  1880,  the  personnel  of  the  Academy 
was  as  follows :  commanding  officer  and  staff, 
including  medical  and  pay  officers  and  chap 
lain,  12;  instructors,  46  commissioned  officers 
and  15  civilians,  61 ;  civil  officers,  including 
secretary,  librarian,  clerks,  etc.,  14 ;  marine 
officers,  3 ;  warrant-officers,  2 ;  and  7  mates  at 
tached  to  the  gunnery -ship  and  practice-vessels  ; 
total  staff  of  the  Academy,  99  ;  number  of  cadet 
midshipmen,  253 ;  of  cadet  engineers,  99  ;  total 
of.  students,  352;  aggregate,  451.  The  list  of 
successive  superintendents  is  as  follows :  1st, 
Commander  Franklin  Buchanan,  1845-47  ;  2d, 
Commander  George  P.  Upshur,  1847-50;  3d, 
Captain  C.  K.  Strihling,  1850-53  ;  4th,  Captain 
L.  M.  Goldsborough,  1853-57  ;  5th,  Commodore 
George  S.  Blake,  1857-65 ;  6th,  Vice-Admiral 
D.  D.  Porter,  1865-69  ;  7th,  Rear-Admiral  John 
L.  Worden,  1869-74  ;  8th,  Rear-Admiral  C.  R. 
P.  Rodgers,  1874-78  ;  9th,  Commodore  Foxhall 
A.  Parker,  1878-79.  In  June,  1879,  Commodore 
Parker  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rear-Admiral 
George  B.  Balch  as  the  tenth  superintendent.  In 
1865  two  classes  of  cadet  engineers,  not  to  exceed 
50  in  the  aggregate,  were  admitted  into  the  Acad 
emy.  The  duration  of  their  course  was,  until  June 
1, 1873,  two  years.  By  act  of  Congress,  approved 
February  24,  1874,  their  course  was  lengthened 
to  four  years,  and  the  number  of  classes  increased 
to  four.  The  examinations  of  candidates  for  cadet 
engineers  are  competitive.  Candidates  must  be 
between  16  and  20  years  of  age,  and  of  sound 
body.  The  number  of  appointments  that  can  be 
made  is  limited  by  law  to  25  each  year.  The 
academic  examination  previous  to  appointment 
is  on  the  following  subjects,  namely  :  arithmetic, 
algebra,  through  equations  of  the  first  degree, 
plane  geometry,  natural  philosophy,  reading, 
writing,  spelling,  grammar,  composition,  geog 
raphy,  free-hand  drawing,  and  the  elementary 
principles  governing  the  action  of  the  steam- 
engine.  Candidates  who  possess  the  best  knowl 
edge  of  machinery,  other  qualifications  being 
equal,  have  precedence  for  admission.  The  pay 
of  cadet  engineers  while  at  the  Academy  is  $500 
per  annum.  After  the  academic  course,  two 
years'  sea-service  is  required  before  being  eligible 
to  be  commissioned  as  assistant  engineers,  and 
then  only  as  vacancies  occur.  The  studies  of 
cadet  engineers  at  the  Academy  consist  of  math 
ematics,  analytical  mechanics,  theory  and  prac 
tice  of  steam  engineering,  physics  and  chemistry, 
French  and  Spanish,  drawing,  designing  of  ma 
chinery,  naval  architecture,  and  practice  in  the 
workshops.  On  March  3,  1873,  Congress  passed  a 
law  changing  the  duration  of  the  course  for  cadet 
midshipmen  from  four  to  six  years,  to  apply  to 
the  class  admitted  in  1873  and  to  all  subsequent 
classes.  Four  years  of  the  six  are  passed  in 
completing  the  academic  course,  the  remaining 
two  years  are  passed  at  sea  on  board  a  regular 
cruising-vessel,  after  which  they  return  to  the 
Academy  and  are  required  to  pass  the  following 
final  graduating  examination:  physical,  ord 
nance,  naval  tactics,  navigation,  French  and 
Spanish,  seamanship,  and  steam.  The  marks  of 
this  examination,  combined  with  those  of  the 
academic  course,  determine  the  graduating  num 
ber;  and  passing  successfully,  the  cadet  midship 
man  becomes  a  midshipman,  and  he  is  then 
eligible  to  be  commissioned  an  ensign  when  va- 


ACADEMIES 


15 


ACADEMIES 


cancies  occur.  The  number  of  cadet  midship 
men  allowed  at  the  Academy  is  one  for  every 
member  and  delegate  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives,  ten  at  large,  and  one  from  the  District 
of  Columbia,  appointed  by  the  President.  The 
nomination  of  a  candidate  from  any  Congres 
sional  district  or  territory  is  made  on  the  recom 
mendation  of  the  member  or  delegate  from  actual 
residents  of  his  district  or  territory.  Candidates 
must  be  of  sound  body,  between  14  and  18  years 
of  age,  and  present  themselves  to  the  superin 
tendent  of  the  Academy  for  examination  for 
admission  in  June  and  September.  The  exam 
ination  in  reading  is  of  course  conducted  orally, 
all  other  examinations  are  in  writing.  A  satis 
factory  examination  must  be  passed  in  arithme 
tic,  geography,  grammar,  writing,  and  spelling. 
Candidates  who  pass  the  physical  and  mental 
examinations  will  be  appointed  as  cadet  mid 
shipmen  and  become  inmates  of  the  Academy. 
Each  cadet  is  required  to  sign  articles  by  which 
he  binds  himself  to  serve  in  the  navy  eight  years, 
including  the  time  at  the  Academy,  unless  sooner 
discharged.  The  pay  of  a  cadet  midshipman  is 
$500  a  year,  commencing  at  the  date  of  his 
admission.  The  academic  year  begins  October 
1,  and  ends  May  30.  The  year  is  divided  into 
two  academic  terms,  the  first  term  extending 
from  October  1  to  January  30.  Each  of  the 
classes  is  divided  into  a  convenient  number  of 
sections  of  from  nine  to  twelve  members,  and 
the  recitation  hours  into  three  periods  of  two 
hours  each,  and  no  student  is  required  to  attend 
more  than  three  recitations  during  the  day ;  so 
that  besides  the  evening  study  hours,  one  hour 
of  each  period  may  be  devoted  to  study.  The 
system  of  examination  comprises  monthly,  semi 
annual,  and  annual  examinations,  all  of  which 
are  conducted  in  writing,  the  same  questions 
being  proposed  to  each  member  of  a  class.  If 
the  cadet  fail  to  pass  the  semi-annual  or  annual 
examination  he  is  dropped.  The  monthly  ex 
amination-marks  are  combined  with  the  daily 
marks  to  determine  the  monthly  standing.  These 
marks  are  combined  with  those  of  the  semi 
annual  examination  to  find  the  term  standing, 
which  latter  are  again  combined  to  form  the 
annual  record.  The  summer  months  are  em 
ployed  in  cruising  at  sea.  The  sailing-vessels 
"Santee,"  "Constellation,"  and  "Dale,"  the 
ironclad  monitor  "  Nantucket,"  and  the  steamers 
"Mayflower"  and  "  Standish"  are  permanently 
stationed  at  the  Academy  during  the  two  aca 
demic  terms  for  the  purpose  of  instruction  in 
great  guns,  and  in  sails,  spars,  steam,  etc.  The 
"  Constellation"  is  commissioned  for  the  summer 
cruise  of  the  first  and  third  classes  of  cadet  mid 
shipmen.  The  second  class  is  granted  leave 
during  the  summer,  and  the  fourth  class,  ad 
mitted  in  June,  is  quartered  on  -board  the 
"  Santee"  for  practical  instruction  until  the  be 
ginning  of  the  academic  year.  The  first  and 
third  classes  of  cadet  engineers  are  embarked  on 
board  the  practice-steamers,  and  visit  the  United 
States  navy-yards  and  private  ship-yards,  par 
ticularly  those  where  iron  ship-building  is  done, 
foundries,  rolling-mills,  machine-shops,  etc.  They 
are  required  to  take  notes  and  make  sketches  of 
machinery,  etc.,  at  every  place  visited.  The 
second  class  of  cadet  engineers  goes  on  leave. 
The  officers  for  all  the  practice-vessels  are  detailed 
from  the  officers  attached  to  the  Academy.  The 


academic  grounds  inside  the  walls  consist  of  50 
acres.  The  grounds  outside  consist  of  109  acres. 
Aggregate,  159  acres.  The  departments  of  study 
and  the  observatory  are  amply  supplied  with 
models  and  apparatus.  The  library  contains 
20,000  volumes,  chiefly  historical,  scientific,  and 
professional.  At  the  International  Exhibition 
held  at  Paris,  France,  in  1878,  the  United  States 
Naval  Academy  received  a  diploma  of  the  value 
of  a  gold  medal,  which  was  one  of  the  four 
diplomas  awarded  to  educational  institutions  in 
the  United  States  for  the  best  quality  of  educa 
tion  in  the  group  classed  as  superior. 

ENGLAND. — The  Royal  Naval  Academy  was 
first  established  at  Portsmouth  dock-yard  by  order 
from  the  admiralty  dated  March  13, 1729,  the  age 
of  admission  being  between  13  and  16  years.  The 
young  gentlemen  entered  the  naval  service  either 
by  nomination  from  the  admiralty  through  the 
Royal  Naval  Academy,  or  by  direct  nomination 
to  sea-going  ships  by  flag-officers  and  captains 
of  ships  in  commission.  In  1806  the  title  of  the 
establishment  was  changed  to  Royal  Naval  Col 
lege.  In  1816  the  college  was  united  to  the 
School  of  Naval  Architecture,  and  the  age  of 
admission  fixed  at  from  12£  to  14  years.  In  1821 
the  age  was  again  altered,  from  12J  to  13J  years, 
and  so  continued  until  the  college  was  closed,  in 
1837.  The  number  of  cadets  allowed  after  1806 
was  70,  mainly  selected  from  the  nobility  and 
gentry.  The  college  was  closed  owing  to  the  old 
method  of  appointing  midshipmen  directly  into 
the  navy  without  any  conditions  of  previous 
preparation  existing  at  the  same  time,  which, 
being  short  and  easy,  was  commonly  preferred. 
After  passing  an  easy  entrance  examination,  the 
course  of  instruction  at  the  college  was  not  much 
more  than  elementary,  and  extended  over  a  period 
of  two  years.  After  a  year's  sea-service  the  stu 
dent  was  eligible  to  be  rated  as  midshipman.  In 
the  year  1839  the  Royal  Naval  College  was  re 
opened  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  further 
means  of  scientific  education  for  a  certain  num 
ber  of  commissioned  officers,  who  were  allowed 
to  remain  at  the  college  for  one  year.  In  the 
beginning  of  1857 — the  experience  of  twenty 
years  since  the  abolition  of  the  old  naval  college 
as  a  seminary  for  boys  having  meanwhile  fully 
demonstrated  the  necessity  for  some  kind  of  pre 
liminary  training  for  cadets  on  their  first  entry 
into  the  service — the  admiralty  established  a  new 
system  of  instruction  on  board  a  training-ship, 
to  which  the  cadets  were  to  be  appointed  after 
passing  into  the  service  by  a  moderate  test  exam 
ination,  with  some  modification  of  detail  on  cer 
tain  points.  The  system  of  educational  training 
established  in  1857  still  continues  in  force.  In 
1868  a  sea-going  ship  was  established  supple 
mentary  to  the  stationary  one.  Under  the  regu 
lations  at  present  in  force  the  candidate  must  not 
be  under  12  nor  above  13  years  of  age.  The 
principle  of  limited  competition  has  also  been 
introduced.  Candidates  must  pass  a  strict  phys 
ical  examination,  and  afterwards  undergo  a  pre 
liminary  test  examination  in  reading,  writing, 
dictation,  French,  arithmetic  as  far  as  vulgar 
and  decimal  fractions,  and  Scripture  history. 
Those  who  successfully  pass  this  examination 
are  allowed  to  compete  in  a  further  examination 
in  arithmetic,  algebra  to  simple  equations,  Book 
I.  of  Euclid,  French,  Latin,  English  history, 
geography,  German,  Italian  or  Spanish,  and 


ACADEMIES 


16 


ACADEMIES 


drawing, — the  candidates  selecting  not  more 
than  three  of  these  subjects,  or  four,  if  drawing 
be  one.  Successful  competitors  are  then  appointed 
to  the  "  Britannia,"  at  Dartmouth,  as  naval 
cadets.  The  course  of  instruction  there  lasts 
two  years,  and  is  supplemented  by  a  year's  fur 
ther  training  on  board  a  special  sea-going  train 
ing-ship.  On  leaving  the  "  Britannia"  the  cadets 
are  classed  according  to  their  merits  in  study 
and  conduct.  Cadets  having  obtained  one  year's 
sea-time  on  leaving  the  training-ship,  are  rated 
as  midshipmen.  During  the  three  years  on  board 
the  training-ships  the  cadets  study  the  following 
subjects :  mathematics,  consisting  of  a  partial 
course  in  arithmetic,  algebra,  geometry,  and 
trigonometry,  with  a  short  course  in  steam,  ele 
mentary  surveying,  English,  French,  geography, 
history,  and  drawing.  After  completing  five 
years'  service,  including  the  time  on  board  the 
training-ships,  and  having  attained  the  age  of  19 
years,  they  are  eligible  to  pass  for  lieutenant. 
The  Koyal  Naval  College  at  Greenwich  was  re 
organized  and  opened  February  1,  1874,  for  the 
instruction  of  officers  of  all  branches  of  the  naval 
service,  including  captains  and  excluding  mid 
shipmen. 

FRANCE. — Students  are  admitted  to  the  Naval 
School  on  board  the  "  Borda,"  at  Brest,  once  in 
each  year,  by  competitive  examination.  Candi 
dates  of  respectable  parentage  are  eligible  for  ad 
mission,  provided  they  are  native  Frenchmen  or 
have  been  naturalized,  and  are  not  less  than  14  or 
more  than  17  years  of  age  on  the  1st  of  January 
of  the  year  in  which  they  compete.  Their  parents 
are  obliged  to  pay  the  equivalent  of  $140  a  year 
to  support  them  while  at  the  school.  The  exam 
inations  are  held  in  July  at  Paris  and  at  seven 
other  large  cities  in  France,  and  in  Corsica  and 
Algiers.  The  examination,  partly  written  and 
partly  oral,  is  on  the  following  subjects:  written 
— French  and  English  composition ;  numerical 
calculation  of  plane  trigonometry,  and  descrip 
tive  geometry  ;  oral — French  and  English,  gen 
eral  history,  geography,  arithmetic,  algebra,  ge 
ometry,  trigonometry,  and  descriptive  geometry. 
To  these  is  added  drawing  from  nature.  If  the 
candidate  pass  the  oral  examination,  he  under 
goes  a  further  examination,  more  searching  in  the 
same  subjects,  for  competition.  A  committee  in 
Paris  selects  the  prescribed  number  of  candidates 
in  order  of  merit.  Those  selected  join  the  train 
ing-ship  "  Borda"  on  October  1,  and  remain  there 
two  years.  The  subjects  of  instruction  are  liter 
ary,  scientific,  and  professional.  An  examination 
is  held  at  the  end  of  each  year,  and  those  that  fail 
to  pass  in  either  branch  of  instruction  are  dis 
missed.  At  the  end  of  two  years  those  who  pass 
successfully  are  sent  on  board  the  cruising-ship 
1  "Jean  Bart, ' '  where  the  course  is  strictly  practical. 
The  cruise  lasts  about  one  year,  and  on  their 
return  an  examination  is  held  in  the  following 
subjects  :  naval  architecture,  steam,  seamanship, 
naval  gunnery,  infantry  tactics,  navigation  and 
surveying,  naval  regulations,  literature,  English, 
drawing,  naval  book-keeping,  international  and 
maritime  law,  and  naval  hygiene,  which  finishes 
the  course.  There  are  also  a  certain  number  of 
students  who  pass  directly  from  thePolytechnique 
School  into  the  "Jean  Bart,"  and  during  their 
subsequent  service  they  are  in  no  way  distin 
guished  from  those  who  have  been  trained  in 
the  "  Borda."  The  "  Jean  Bart"  also  receives  a 


few  students  from  the  corps  of  naval  constructors, 
and  takes  them  to  sea. 

GERMANY. — The  officers'  corps  of  the  Imperial 
navy  is  made  up  from  young  men  that  enter  the 
service  as  cadets,  and  from  sailors  that  are  granted 
such  a  chance  for  advancement.  Applications  for 
admission  as  cadet  must  be  made  to  the  admiralty 
at  Berlin  during  the  months  of  August  and  Sep 
tember  of  the  year  preceding  the  examination  for 
admission.  The  application  must  be  accompanied 
by  a  number  of  papers  giving  a  detailed  account 
of  the  candidate's  family,  his  intellectual  training 
and  physical  condition.  The  examination  is  held 
every  year,  in  the  month  of  April,  before  an  ex 
amining  board  at  Kiel,  appointed  by  the  chief 
of  the  admiralty.  The  candidate  must  first  pass 
a  physical  examination,  and  not  be  more  than  17 
years  of  age,  except  a  graduate  of  a  high  school, 
who  must  not  be  more  than  19  years  of  age.  The 
examination  for  admission  is  in  the  following 
subjects  :  Latin,  grammar,  arithmetic,  geometry, 
trigonometry,  elements  of  physics,  geography, 
history,  French  and  English,  and  free-hand 
drawing.  If  the  candidate  has  a  certificate  of 
graduation  from  a  high  school,  or  a  school  of 
equal  rank,  he  is  freed  from  an  examination  if 
his  record  in  mathematics  be  good;  if  not,  he 
must  pass  an  examination  in  that  branch.  The 
results  of  this  examination  are  sent  to  the  chief 
of  admiralty,  who  decides  which  ones  shall  be 
admitted.  The  cadets  must  pay  their  own  ex 
penses.  The  cadets  selected  for  admission  are 
embarked  on  board  a  practice-ship.  They  cruise 
during  the  summer  and  return  to  the  station  in 
September.  Those  cadets  that  show  a  want  of 
aptitude  for  the  service  are  then  dismissed  by 
order  of  the  admiralty.  The  remaining  cadets 
receive  certificates  signed  by  the  commanding 
ofScer  and  other  officers  of  the  practice  ship,  and 
are  ordered  to  attend  the  cadets'  class  of  the 
naval  school  after  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance. 
The  instruction  in  the  cadets'  class  is  intended  to 
prepare  the  cadets  for  the  Naval  Cadets1  exami 
nation,  and  lasts  about  six  months.  This  ex 
amination  embraces  the  following  subjects :  navi 
gation,  seamanship,  artillery,  infantry  tactics, 
arithmetic,  trigonometry,  geometry,  chemistry, 
official  reports,  topography,  English  and  French. 
Those  failing  to  pass  are  either  turned  back  or 
dismissed.  Those  cadets  that  have  passed  are 
embarked  on  board  a  practice-ship,  and  sent  on 
a  cruise  for  two  years.  During  that  time  they 
receive  practical  training,  and  are  also  instructed 
in  those  branches  of  science  more  strictly  pro 
fessional.  At  the  end  of  the  cruise,  those  receiv 
ing  a  satisfactory  report  from  the  commander  of 
a  vessel  are  ordered  to  attend  the  first  officers' 
examination  at  Kiel  in  the  following  subjects : 
navigation,  seamanship,  naval  tactics,  artillery, 
marine  engines,  naval  architecture,  knowledge 
of  the  duties  of  officers,  French  and  English. 
Those  that  pass  the  examination  are  appointed 
second  lieutenants  without  commissions,  and  are 
made  to  attend  the  officers'  class  of  the  Naval 
Academy.  The  course  of  instruction  commences 
in  October  and  closes  the  following  August,  and 
is  intended  to  complete  the  theoretical  education, 
and  prepare  the  members  for  the  second  officers' 
examination,  which  takes  place  each  year,  in 
September,  at  Kiel,  and  in  the  following  sub 
jects  :  navigation,  infantry  tactics,  artillery, 
naval  architecture,  marine  engines,  fortification, 


ACADEMIES 


ACCOST 


drawing,  geometry,  trigonometry,  mechanics, 
and  physics.  Full  reports  of  the  examination 
are  submitted  to  the  admiralty,  the  relative 
standing  of  those  that  have  passed  finally  de 
termined,  and  commissions  as  second  lieutenant 
are  issued.  Sailors  are  admitted  on  the  recom 
mendation  of  their  superior  officers  after  a  ser 
vice  of  at  least  twelve  months  on  board  a  man- 
of-war,  and  must  not  be  over  20  years  of  age. 
The  regulations  for  admission  and  examinations 
are  the  same  for  sailors  as  for  those  persons  enter 
ing  from  civil  life. 

ITALY. — The  candidates  enter  at  Naples  on  the" 
15th  of  June  in  each  year  ;  they  must  be  of 
sound  body,  not  less  than  13  nor  over  17  years 
of  age,  and  must  give  security  that  their  expenses 
will  be  paid.  The  examination  for  admission  is 
competitive,  and  is  in  arithmetic,  elementary 
algebra,  geometry,  ancient  history,  grammar, 
French,  and  geography.  The  Royal  Naval 
School  is  composed  of  two  divisions, — the  first 
at  Naples,  and  the  second  at  Genoa.  The  course 
at  Naples  is  two  years,  and  comprises  the  follow 
ing  subjects :  algebra,  geometry,  trigonometry, 
descriptive  geometry,  navigation,  French  and 
English,  drawing,  calculus,  physics,  descriptive 
and  political  geography,  and  Italian  literature. 
The  last  two  years  of  the  course  are  passed  at 
Genoa,  and  the  following  subjects  taught:  me- 
chanicsj  astronomy,  hydrography,  history,  politi 
cal  geography,  Italian  literature,  French  and 
English,  theory  of  ships,  naval  construction, 
naval  tactics,  fortification,  artillery  and  infantry 
tactics,  torpedoes,  and  practical  exercises,  includ 
ing  fencing,  gymnastics,  swimming,  and  dancing. 
The  practice-cruises  are  made  each  year  from. 
June  to  November,  and  the  examinations  take 
place  before  the  cruise  begins.  Those  who  grad 
uate  are  recommended  for  nomination  to  the 
grade  of  midshipmen,  and  go  directly  into  active 
service. 

RUSSIA. — Those  who  are  desirous  of  entering 
the  naval  service  must  pass  into  the  Naval 
School  at  St.  Petersburg.  Candidates  eligible 
for  admission  must  be  sons  of  hereditary  noble 
men,  of  superior  civil  or  military  officers,  or  of 
hereditary  honorable  citizens.  The  age  of  can 
didates  must  not  be  under  15  nor  over  18  years. 
Those  candidates  who  may  wish  it  are  allowed, 
before  entering  the  school,  to  go  through  a  trial- 
cruise  to  test  their  aptitude  for  the  service.  If 
the  trial-cruise  be  satisfactory  the  candidate  must 
pass  a  physical  and  mental  examination.  The 
examination  is  held  yearly,  in  the  month  of  Sep 
tember,  embracing  the  following  subjects :  re 
ligion,  grammar,  geography,  history,  arithmetic, 
algebra,  geometry,  and  French.  The  course  of 
instruction  lasts  four  years,  at  the  expense  of 
the  government.  At  the  end  of  four  years  the 
students  are  examined  in  the  subjects  mentioned 
as  follows:  religion,  navigation  and  pilotage, 
astronomy,  seamanship,  naval  history,  naval 
tactics,  gunnery,  surveying,  steam,  theoretical 
and  practical  naval  architecture,  fortification, 
jurisprudence,  and  Russian  and  French  lan 
guages.  Having  passed  this  examination  the 
student  is  made  a  naval  cadet,  and  is  embarked 
on  board  a  training-ship  to  cruise  for  two  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  he  is  subjected  to  a  final  ex 
amination  in  practical  seamanship. 

SPAIN.— The  Naval  College  for  midshipmen 
was  created  by  royal  decree,  September  18,  1844> 
2 


in  order  that  young  men  who  desire  to  become 
naval  officers  may  learn,  theoretically  and  prac 
tically,  their  profession.  It  is  situated  in  San 
Carlos,  department  of  Cadiz.  The  personnel  is 
composed  of,  besides  the  commanding  officer  and 
staff,  11  professors  of  mathematics,  1  of  physics, 
and  10  for  drawing,  seamanship,  ship-building, 
English  and  French,  fencing,  gymnastics,  and 
dancing,  2  chaplains,  and  8  lieutenants,  who, 
besides  their  duties  as  officers,  give  military  in 
struction  to  the  cadets.  By  a  royal  decree  of 
February  20,  1864,  only  60  can  enter  yearly. 
The  candidate  must  be  between  13  and  16"  years 
of  age.  All  the  vacancies,  except  four,  are  filled 
by  competitive  examination  in  the  following  sub 
jects  :  religion,  reading,  writing,  grammar,  arith 
metic,  algebra,  geometry,  French  and  English, 
geography,  and  drawing.  By  the  last-mentioned 
decree  the  time  in  the  college  has  been  reduced 
from  two  and  a  half  years  to  one  year  and  a  half, 
and  the  students  study  the  following  subjects : 
trigonometry,  geometrical  analysis,  astronomy, 
navigation,  physics,  meteorology,  chemistry, 
gunnery,  French  and  English,  naval  tactics,  in 
fantry  tactics,  seamanship,  geography,  history 
(sacred,  profane,  and  naval),  religion  and  morals, 
drawing,  fencing,  gymnastics,  swimming,  and 
dancing. — F.  W.  Dickins,  Lieutenant- Commander 
UJS.N. 

Academite.  A  graduate  of  the  Royal  Naval 
Academy  at  Portsmouth,  England. 

Acairlphuill.     A  safe  anchorage. 

Acalephse.  A  class  of  marine  animals  of  low 
organization,  having  a  translucent  jelly-like 
structure,  and  frequently  possessing  the  property 
of  stinging;  as,  the  Portuguese  man-of-war 
(Physalia),  and  the  common  jelly-fish  (Medusa}. 

Acapulco.  A  seaport  of  Mexico,  on  the  Pa 
cific.  Lat.  16°  50'  N. ;  Ion.  99°  48'  W.  It  has 
a  magnificent  landlocked  harbor,  and  is  302 
miles  "S.S.W.  of  Mexico.  Pop.  5000. 

Acast.  An  old  word  for  lost  or  cast  away. 
Abox  ;  as,  the  head-yards  were  said  to  be  braced 
acast. 

Acater.  Purveyor  of  victuals,  whence  ca 
terer. 

Acatium.  A  word  used  by  the  Romans  for  a 
small  boat,  and  also  for  the  mainmast  of  a  ship. 

Acceleration.  The  increase  of  velocity  in  a 
moving  body.  A  planet  is  said  to  be  accelerated 
when  its  actual  diurnal  motion  exceeds  its  mean. 
In  the  fixed  stars  this  acceleration  is  the  mean 
time  by  which  they  anticipate  the  sun's  diurnal 
motion.  Acceleration  of  the  moon  is  the  increase 
of  her  mean  motion,  caused  by  a  slow  change  in 
the  eccentricity  of  the  terrestrial  orbit. 

Access.  Means  of  entry  or  approach.  Ac 
cessible,  approachable  by  land  or  sea. 

Acclivity.  The  upward  slope  of  an  inclined 
cliff. 

Accoil.     To  coil  together. 

Accommodations.  Fittings,  conveniences. 
Accommodation  ladder,  a  convenient  flight  ot 
steps  shipped  at  the  gangway.  When  shipped 
on  both  sides,  the  starboard  ladder  is  reserved  for 
the  use  of  commissioned  officers  and  their  visit 
ors. 

Accompany.     To  sail  together ;  to  convoy. 

Accon.  (Fr.)  A  flat-bottomed  Mediterranean 
boat  for  carrying  cargoes  over  shoals.  _ 

Accost.  To  hail ;  to  pass  within  hail ;  to  sail 
coastwise  ;  to  draw  near. 


ACCOUNT 


18 


ADJUSTMENT 


Account.  Going  upon  account,  a  phrase  for 
buccaneering. 

Accounts.  The  several  books  and  registers 
of  money,  stores,  clothing,  and  provisions.  See 
PAYMASTER. 

Accouplement.     A  timber  tie  or  brace. 

Accoutrements.  Equipments  of  soldiers  and 
marines. 

Accul.  An  old  term  for  the  end  of  a  deep 
bay ;  from  cul-de-sac. 

Accuse.     To  charge  with  an  offense. 

Accused.  The  designation  of  the  party  on 
trial  before  a  court-martial.  See  COURT-MAR 
TIAL. 

Achernar.  a  Eridani,  a  star  of  the  first 
magnitude  in  the  constellation  Eridanus,  called 
by  navigators  the  u  Spring  of  the  Kiver." 

Achromatic.  A  term  applied  to  optical  in 
struments  in  which  aberration  and  the  colors  de 
pendent  thereon  are  partially  corrected.  Achro 
matic  condenser,  a  lens  used  to  concentrate  the 
rays  of  light  on  an  object  in  a  microscope. 

Achronical.  An  old  term  signifying  the  rising 
of  a  heavenly  body  at  sunset,  or  its  setting  at 
sunrise. 

Acker.  An  eddying  ripple  on  the  surface  of 
flooded  waters.  A  tide  swelling  above  another 
tide.  See  EAGRE,  BORE. 

Ackmen,  or  Ack-pirates.  Fresh- water  thieves. 

A-cockbill.  A  yard  is  a-cockbill  when  by  acci 
dent  or  design  one  yard-arm  is  topped  up  more 
than  the  other.  (See  MOURNING.)  The  anchor  is 
a-cockbill  when  it  hangs  from  the  cat-head  by  the 
ring-stopper  ready  for  letting  go.  In  the  navy 
the  anchor  is  not  cockbilled  except  in  special 
cases. 

Acolyte.  The  smaller  component  of  a  double 
star. 

Acorn.  A  cone-shaped  piece  of  wood  attached 
to  the  vane. 

Acoustics.  The  science  of  sound.  The  acous 
tic  telegraph  is  one  which  makes  audible  instead 
of  visible  signals 

Acquit.  To  discharge  from  an  accusation  ;  to 
free  or  exonerate  from  blame  or  suspicion ;  to 
clear  from  imputation.  The  word  is  also  used  to 
express  personal  bearing  ;  as,  to  acquit  one's  self 
well. 

Acquittance.  A  release  or  discharge  in  writing 
for  a  sum  of  money,  or  duty,  which  ought  to  be 
paid,  or  done,  on  the  ship's  account. 

Acre.  A  city  and  seaport  of  Syria,  on  a  prom 
ontory  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Carmel.  Lat.  32°  55' 
N.  ;  Ion.  35°  5'  E.  Pop.  4800.  The  Bay  of  Acre 
is  much  frequented  by  French,  Italian,  and  Aus 
trian  vessels. 

Acrostolium.  A  symbolical  ornament  on  the 
prows  of  ancient  vessels ;  the  origin  of  the  modern 
figure-head. 

Act.  Deed,  performance,  edict,  decree,  or  law. 
Overt  act,  an  open  act  done  in  pursuance  of  a 
criminal  design, — the  mere  design  not  being  pun 
ishable  without  such  act.  Act  of  God  compre 
hend?  all  accidents  arising  from  physical  causes. 
Act  of  Court,  the  decision  of  the  judge  on  the 
verdict  or  on  a  point  of  law.  Act  and  Intention 
must  be  united,  in  admiralty  law. 

Acting.  A  prefix  to  denote  that  a  rank  is  held 
temporarily. 

Action.  Exertion  of  power  or  force.  Double 
action  denotes  that  the  motor  acts  positively  in 
producing  the  backward  and  forward  movement. 


An  engagement ;  a  battle.  Clear  ship  for  action, 
to  prepare  for  battle  by  removing  everything  that 
obstructs  the  working  of  the  battery  or  hinders 
the  handling  of  the  ship ;  by  removing  all  fix 
tures  and  appliances,  not  needed  for  action,  but 
which  might  cause  the  enemy's  shot  to  create 
havoc  and  confusion  ;  by  removing  articles  liable 
to  injury  by  exposure  ;  and  by  providing  articles 
necessary  to  the  security  of  rigging  and  spars. 

Active.  Requiring  or  implying  action  or  ex 
ertion  ;  practical ;  operative, 

ACTIVE  LIST.  The  list  of  officers  liable  to  be 
called  upon  for  active  duty,  in  contradistinction 
to  the  Retired  List  (which  see). 

ACTIVE  SERVICE.  Duty  before  the  enemy,  or 
operations  in  his  presence.  Any  duty  under  the 
orders  of  the  Navy  Department. 

Actuaire.  (Fr.)  An  open  transport  pro 
pelled  by  oars  and  sails. 

Actuairole.  (Fr.)  A  small  galley  propelled 
by  oars. 

Acumba.  Oakum  ;  the  hards  or  coarse  parts 
of  flax  and  unplucked  wool. 

Acuna,  Christopher.  Jesuit  and  explorer,  b. 
Burgos,  1597,  d.  Lima  about  1675.  He  was  one 
of  the  early  explorers  of  the  river  Amazon,  and 
was  sent  to  report  the  incidents  of  the  expedition 
of  1639.  On  his  return  to  Spain  he  published  at 
Madrid,  in  1641,  "  Nuevo  Descubrimiento  del 
gran  Rio  de  las  Amazonas."  He  subsequently 
went  to  the  East  Indies,  returned  to  South  Amer 
ica,  and  died  on  the  way  from  Panama  to  Lima. 

Adamant.  The  loadstone  ;  the  magnet : — the 
sense  in  which  it  was  held  by  early  voyagers. 

Adapter.  A  ring  or  tube  to  adapt  or  fit  any 
accessory  apparatus  to  an  instrument. 

Addel,  or  Addle.     The  putrid  water  in  casks. 

Addice.  An  adze.  The  addled  eggs  of  sea- 
fowl. 

Addlings.     Accumulated  pay. 

Address.  Bearing.  To  consign  or  intrust  to 
another  as  an  agent. 

Adelaide,  Port,  six  miles  from  the  capital  of 
South  Australia.  Lat.  34°  49'  S.  ;  Ion.  138°  38' 
E.  It  is  a  free  port,  and  accessible  for  vessels 
drawing  18  feet  of  water. 

Adit.  An  air-hole  or  drift.  The  aperture  by 
which  a  mine  is  dug  and  charged.  The  aperture 
by  which  a  ship  in  ancient  times  was  entered. 

Adjourn.  To  put  off  to  another  day  ;  to  dis 
continue  a  while  ;  to  intermit  proceedings ;  as,  of 
a  court-martial,  a  board  of  examination,  etc. 
When  no  certain  day  is  fixed  to  which  the  ad 
journment  is  to  extend,  it  is  said  to  be  sine  die. 

Adjudication.  The  act  of  adjudging  prizes 
by  legal  decree.  Captors  are  compelled  to  sub 
mit  the  adjudication  of  their  prizes  to  a  compe 
tent  tribunal. 

Adjust.  To  set  the  frame  of  a  ship.  To  regu 
late  an  instrument  for  use.  To  adjust  the  com 
passes  is  to  ascertain  the  deviation  of  the  needle 
due  to  local  attraction. 

Adjustment,  in  marine  insurance,  is  the  as 
certaining  and  settling  of  the  amount  of  in 
demnity,  whether  of  average  or  salvage,  which 
the  insured  is  entitled  to  receive.  The  nature 
and  amount  of  damage  being  ascertained,  an  en 
dorsement  is  made  on  the  back  of  the  policy,  de 
claring  the  proportion  of  loss  falling  on  each  un 
derwriter  ;  and  when  this  endorsement  is  signed 
by  the  latter,  the  loss  is  said  to  have  been  ad 
justed.  After  an  adjustment  has  been  made,  it 


ADJUTANT 


19 


ADMINISTRATION 


is  usual  for  the  underwriter  at  once  to  pay  the 
loss.  As  a  question  of  law,  however,  it  does  not 
appear  how  far  the  adjustment  is  conclusive  and 
binding  on  the  underwriters.  In  the  opinion  of 
some  lawyers  the  adjustment  is  merely  presump 
tive  evidence  against  an  insurer,  and  it  is,  not 
withstanding,  open  to  the  underwriter  to  show 
facts  which,  if  proved,  would  have  the  effect  of 
relieving  him  from  liability. 

ADJUSTMENTS  OF  INSTRUMENTS.  All  nauti 
cal  instruments  are  liable  to  get  out  of  order, 
their  several  parts  not  retaining  their  relative 
positions,  owing  to  unequal  expansion,  violence, 
or  like  causes.  To  guard  before  observing  against 
resulting  errors,  there  are  methods  of  testing 
whether  the  instrument  is  in  order  in  the  several 
points  subject  to  be  affected  ;  and  the  instrument 
is  provided  with  means  of  adjustment,  chiefly  in 
the  form  of  screws  or  sliding  weights,  by  which 
it  may  be  restored  to  its  correct  state.  Adjust 
ing  screws  and  weights  ought  not  to  be  touched 
more  than  is  absolutely  necessary,  and  then  with 
great  care.  When  two  such  screws  work  oppo 
sitely  to  each  other,  one  must  not  be  tightened 
without  the  other  being  at  the  same  time  loosened. 
Sometimes,  instead  of  making  the  adjustment, 
the  error  may  be  acknowledged  and  allowed  for 
in  observing.  The  term  "  adjustments"  is  often 
loosely  applied  to  all  sources  of  incorrectness, 
and  means  of  obviating  their  effects,  in  using 
instruments.  These  are,  however,  properly  of 
three  distinct  kinds  :  imperfections  in  the  instru 
ment,  which  should  cause  its  rejection  ;  adjust 
ments  for  parts  of  the  instrument  liable  to  tem 
porary  derangement,  but  which  can  be  restored 
to  order  by  the  machinery  attached  ;  and  errors 
of  the  instrument,  which  are  acknowledged,  de 
termined  by  experiment,  and  allowed  for.  See 
COMPASS  and  SEXTANT. 

Adjutant.     See  MARINE  CORPS. 

Admeasurement.  The  calculation  of  the  pro 
portions  of  a  ship  according  to  assumed  rules. 

Administration,  Naval  (Lat.  ad,  "to,"  and 
ministro,  ministratum,  "to  serve,"  manage 
ment,  conduct  of  business),  relates  to  the  man 
agement  of  that  part  of  the  executive  branch 
of  the  government  which  includes  the  navy,  or 
military  marine.  The  Chief  Executive  is  gen 
erally  the  constitutional  or  hereditary  head  of 
the  navy.  James  I.,  of  England,  assumed  the 
title  of  Lord  High  Admiral  and  Lord  Gen 
eral;  in  other  words,  he  declared  himself  to 
be  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  and 
navy.  This  was  subsequently  confirmed  to  the 
reigning  sovereign  by  act  of  Parliament  (13 
Car.  II.,  c.  6).  In  the  United  States  the  Presi 
dent  is  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army 
and  Navy,  "  and  he  may  require  the  opinion  in 
writing  of  the  principal  officer  in  each  of  the 
executive  departments  upon  any  subject  relating 
to  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices."  (Con 
stitution  of  the  United  States,  Art.  II.,  Sec.  2.) 
One  of  these  "executive  departments"  is  styled, 
by  the  act  of  April  30,  1798,  which  creates  the 
office,  the  Department  of  the  Navy,  and  the 
"principal  officer"  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
whose  duty  it  is  "  to  execute  such  orders  as  he 
shall  receive  from  the  President  of  the  United 
States  relative  to  the  procurement  of  naval  stores 
and  materials,  and  the  construction,  armament, 
equipment  of  vessels  of  war,  as  well  as  all  other 
matters  connected  with  the  naval  establishment 


of  the  United  States.  From  the  language  of  the 
act  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
is,  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  branch  of  the 
public  service,  the  exponent  of  the  President ;  and 
his  acts  are  to  be  considered  the  acts  of  the  Presi 
dent,  and  have  full  force  and  effect  as  such.  The 
official  duties  of  the  heads  of  executive  depart 
ments,  however,  are  not  merely  ministerial  ;  they 
involve  the  exercise  of  judgment  and  discretion. 
(Decatur  v.  Paulding,  14  Pet.,  515.)  The  Secre 
tary  of  the  Navy  is  appointed  by  the  President, 
by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate, 
from  civil  life,  and  is  one  of  the  members  of  his 
Cabinet.  He  is  authorized  by  law  to  prescribe 
regulations,  not  inconsistent  with  law,  for  the 
government  of  his  department,  the  conduct  of 
its  officers  and  clerks,  the  distribution  and  per 
formance  of  its  business,  and  the  custody,  use, 
and  preservation  of  the  records,  papers,  and  prop 
erty  appertaining  to  it.  He  is  required  to  make 
an  annual  report  to  Congress  of  the  operations 
of  the  navy  for  the  preceding  year,  its  general 
condition,  etc.  The  business  of  the  Department 
is  distributed  among  eight  bureaus,  to  wit:  (1) 
Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  (2)  Equipment 
and  Recruiting,  (3)  Navigation,  (4)  Ordnance, 
(5)  Construction  and  Repair,  (6)  Steam  Engi 
neering,  (7)  Provisions  and  Clothing,  (8)  Medi 
cine  and  Surgery.  The  chiefs  of  bureaus  are 
appointed  by  the  President,  by  and  with  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate.  All  the  duties 
of  the  bureaus  are  performed  under  the  authority 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  "  their  orders 
are  considered  as  emanating  from  him  and  have 
full  force  and  effect  as  such"  (act  of  August  31, 
1842).  There  are  63  clerks,  draughtsmen,  etc., 
in  the  Department,  17  of  whom  belong  to  the 
Secretariat,  the  remainder  to  the  several  bureaus. 
The  chiefs  of  four  bureaus  (1,  2,  3,  and  4)  are 
selected  from  the  line-officers  not  below  the  rank 
of  commander.  During  the  time  of  holding 
office  they  have  the  relative  rank  of  commo 
dore,  if  below  that  grade.  The  chiefs  of  the 
other  bureaus  are  selected  from  the  several  corps 
which  they  represent,  and  while  holding  office 
have  the  relative  rank  of  commodore,  with  the 
title  respectively  of  surgeon-general,  paymaster- 
general,  engineer-in-chief,  and  chief  construc 
tor.  Chiefs  of  bureaus  hold  their  offices  for  the 
term  of  four  years.  Any  staff  officer  who  has 
performed  the  duty  of  a  chief  of  a  bureau  for  a 
full  term  is  exempt  thereafter  from  sea-duty,  ex 
cept  in  time  of  war,  and  retires  with  the  relative 
rank  of  commodore. 

It  will  be  perceived  from  the  foregoing  that 
the  Navy  Department,  and  consequently  the 
navy  itself,  is  without  a  professional  head.  The 
civil  branch  is  well  provided  for  in  the  constitu 
tional  commander-in-chief  and  his  constitutional 
adviser,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  But  regard 
ing  the  navy  in  its  true  character  of  a  sea  army, 
there  is  no  professional  head  in  our  naval  admin 
istration  to  govern  its  purely  military  operations. 
This  is  a  great,  and,  in  time  of  war,  would  be 
likely  to  prove  a  fatal,  defect.  It  would  be  diffi 
cult,  indeed,  to  find  a  civilian  in  whom  were  com 
bined  the  political  training  essential  to  a  Cabinet 
officer  and  the  technical  knowledge  necessary  to 
an  intelligent  and  energetic  administration  of 
naval  affairs  even  in  times  of  profound  peace. 

The  history  of  our  naval  administration  is 
curious.  The  infant  navy  was  ushered  into  ex- 


ADMINISTRATION 


20 


ADMINISTRATION 


istence  by  spasmodic  resolutions  of  the  Conti 
nental  Congress.  On  the  5th  of  October,  1775,  a 
resolution  directed  the  fitting  out  of  two  armed 
schooners  to  cruise  for  a  vessel  known  to  have 
left  England  with  munitions  of  war  for  the 
enemy.  A  week  later  another  resolution  directed 
the  equipping  of  a  swift  vessel  of  10  guns,  and 
three  members  of  Congress  —  Messrs.  Deane, 
Langdon,  and  Gadsden — were  chosen  a  com 
mittee  to  superintend  this  "  naval  force."  Oc 
tober  20  four  members — Hopkins,  Hewes,  Lee, 
and  John  Adams — were  added,  when  it  was  re 
solved  that  "these  seven  be  a  committee  to  carry 
into  execution  with  all  possible  expedition  the 
resolutions  of  Congress  for  fitting  out  armed 
vessels."  The  committee  immediately  procured 
a  room  in  a  public-house  in  Philadelphia,  and 
agreed  to  meet  every  evening  at  6  o'clock  for  the 
dispatch  of  business.  January  25,  it  was  resolved 
that  the  direction  of  the  fleet  fitted  out  by  order 
of  Congress  be  left  to  the  Naval  Committee.  In 
subsequent  resolutions  this  committee  was  styled 
the  Marine  Committee,  and  was  empowered  to 
give  names  to  ships,  to  order  them  on  service, 
purchase  materials,  etc.  June  9,  1779,  it  was 
resolved  that  the  management  of  all  business  re 
lating  to  the  marine  of  the  United  States  be  vested 
in  commissioners.  October  28,  1779,  a  Board  of 
Admiralty  was  established  to  superintend  the 
naval  and  marine  affairs.  February  7,  1781,  the 
office  of  a  Secretary  of  Marine  was  created.  Au 
gust  20,  on  the  report  of  a  committee,  it  was  re 
solved  that  a  for  the  present  an  agent  of  marine  be 
appointed,"  who  should  absorb  all  the  duties  that 
had  devolved  upon  the  Board  of  Admiralty.  On 
the  termination  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
(1783)  the  navy  was  disbanded.  The  present 
government  went  into  operation  under  the  Con 
stitution  March  4, 1789,  and  on  the  7th  of  August 
following  an  act  was  passed  establishing  the^De- 
partment  of  War,  the  Secretary  of  which  was 
to  have  a  general  supervision  of  the  land  and 
naval  forces.  April  30,  1798,  the  act  was  passed 
creating  the  Department  of  the  Navy,  a  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  a  principal  clerk  and  such  other 
clerks  as  he  (the  Secretary)  thought  necessary. 
The  act  of  February  7,  1815,  added  to  the  De 
partment  a  Board  of  Navy  Commissioners,  con 
sisting  of  three  officers  of  the  navy  not  below 
the  rank  of  post-captain.  The  act  provided  that 
"  the  board  so  constituted  should  be  attached  to 
the  office  of  the  Secretary,  and  under  his  super 
intendence  discharge  all  the  ministerial  duties  of 
that  office  relative  to  the  procurement  of  naval 
stores  and  materials,  and  the  construction,  arma 
ment,  equipment,  and  employment  of  vessels  of 
war,  as  well  as  other  matters  connected  with  the 
naval  establishment."  The  act  of  August  31, 
1842,  abolished  the  naval  commissioners  and 
substituted  five  bureaus,  since  increased,  by  act 
of  July  5,  1862,  to  eight.  By  act  of  July  31, 
1861,  the  office  of  Assistant  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  was  authorized,  the  exigencies  of  war 
showing  its  necessity.  The  office  was  abolished 
soon  after  the  war  (March  3,  1869). 

The  act  of  March  2,  1865,  created  the  office  of 
Solicitor  and  Judge-Advocate-General.  June 
22,  1870,  it  was  transferred  to  the  Department  of 
Justice,  as  Naval  Solicitor  (Sec.  249,  Revised 
Statutes).  For  that  important  factor  of  the  navy, 
the  Marine  Corps,  see  article  under  that  head. 

GREAT  BRITAIN.— Immediately  after  the  rev 


olution  of  1688  Parliament  passed  an  act  (2  Sess. 
William  and  Mary)  establishing  a  Board  of 
Admiralty ;  thus  giving  the  sanction  of  law  to 
the  practice  that  had  long  prevailed,  of  placing 
the  control  of  the  navy  in  the  hands  of  experi 
enced  officers.  By  this  act  it  was  "  declared  and 
enacted  that  all  and  singular  authorities,  juris 
dictions,  and  powers  which,  by  any  act  of  Par 
liament  or  otherwise,  have  been  and  are  lawfully 
vested  ...  in  the  Lord  High  Admiral  of  Eng 
land  for  the  time  being,  have  always  appertained 
to,  and  may  be  exercised  by,  the  Commissioners 
for  executing  the  office  of  High  Admiral  of  Eng 
land  for  the  time  being  according  to  their  com 
missions."  Two  years  later,  it  was  resolved  in 
the  House  of  Commons  that  "His  Majesty  be 
advised  to  constitute  a  commission  of  the  Ad 
miralty  of  such  persons  as  are  of  known  experi 
ence  in  maritime  aifairs ;  that  for  the  future  all 
orders  for  the  management  of  the  fleet  do  pass 
through  the  Admiralty  that  shall  be  so  con 
stituted." 

The  Admiralty  patent,  as  it  is  called,  places 
in  the  hands  of  "  Our  Commissioners  for  execut 
ing  the  office  of  Our  High  Admiral"  full  power 
to  administer  the  affairs  of  the  navy.  It  enjoins 
upon  all  persons  belonging  to  the  navy  to  observe 
all  such  orders  as  "  Our  said  Commissioners,  or 
any  two  or  more  of  them,  give,"  .  .  .  "  as  if  Our 
High  Admiral  had  given  it."  According  to  the 
patent,  all  the  members  are  equal,  with  co-ordi 
nate  powers,  and  with  joint  responsibility.  Ac 
cording  to  usage  the  responsibility  rests  almost 
entirely  with  the  First  Lord.  He  nominates  the 
other  members  "  at  his  pleasure."  He  is,  there 
fore,  practically  supreme  ;  if  opposed  by  the  other 
members  he  may  break  up  the  board.  Besides 
the  First  Lord,  who  is  a  cabinet  officer  appointed 
almost  invariably  from  civil  life  by  the  Prime 
Minister,  there  are  three  naval  members,  and 
one  other,  who  is  always  taken  from  among  the 
members  of  the  House  of  Commons.  The  board 
meets  every  week-day  at  noon,  except  Saturdays, 
and  two  lords  and  a  secretary  form  a  quorum  for 
business.  Certain  orders  may  be  signed  by  the 
secretary  of  the  board  alone,  and  are  regarded 
as  the  order  of  the  board  collectively ;  but  an 
order  that  authorizes  the  payment  of  money  re 
quires  the  signatures  of  two  lords.  The  secre 
taries  have  jointly  charge  of  the  Secretariat,  and 
the  First  Secretary  has  'important  duties  in  Par 
liament  in  connection  with  the  board.  See  AD 
MIRALTY. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  that  the 
First  Lord  has  general  control  of  the  navy  in  the 
name  of  his  sovereign,  to  whom  he  is  responsible 
for  its  management.  But  he  represents  the  civil 
power,  and  concerns  himself  more  immediately 
with  the  civil  affairs  of  the  navy.  Associated 
with  this  civil  office,  but  subordinate  to  it,  is  the 
military  branch  of  the  establishment.  This  is 
presided  over  by  professionals, — the  senior  Sea 
Lord  and  his  coadjutors,  the  other  Sea  Lords  and 
the  Naval  Secretary. 

No  form  of  naval  administration  can  hope  for 
entire  immunity  from  public  criticism ;  the  Board 
of  Admiralty  forms  no  exception  to  the  rule. 
The  slightest  mishap  in  the  navy  is  sufficient  to 
call  down  the  thunders  of  the  press  on  the  heads 
of  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty.  Discussions  in 
Parliament  led  (March,  1861)  to  the  appoint 
ment  of  a  committee  "  to  inquire  into  the  con- 


ADMINISTRATION 


21 


ADMIRAL 


stitution  of  the  Board  of  Admiralty  and  the 
various  duties  devolving  thereon;"  also  "as  to 
the  general  effect  of  such  system  on  the  navy." 
No  material  change  took  place,  however,  till 
January  14, 1869,  when  Mr.  Hugh  C.  E.  Childers, 
then  First  Lord,  reorganized  the  board.  On  the 
19th  of  March,  1872,  the  order  of  1869  was  re 
scinded,  and  the  board  restored  very  much  to 
its  old  organization  and  as  it  now  stands.  See 
ADMIRALTY. 

FRANCE. — The  Minister  of  Marine  (Secretary 
of  the  Navy)  in  France  is  generally  selected  from 
the  list  of  admirals,  and  represents  both  the  civil 
and  military  power.  He  is  assisted  in  his  im 
mediate  office  by  a  staff  of  about  seven  officers, 
ranking  from  rear-admiral  to  lieutenant.  The 
chief  of  staff  is  a  rear-admiral  (chef  d'etat-major 
et  chef  du  cabinet).  Next  comes  a  Board  of  Ad 
miralty,  of  which  the  Minister  of  Marine  is  presi 
dent.  It  consists  of,  1,  a  vice-admiral,  who  is 
vice-president  of  the  board ;  2,  a  vice-admiral ;  3, 
a  general  of  marine  artillery  ;  4,  a  vice-admiral ; 
5,  a  vice-admiral ;  6,  a  rear-admiral ;  7,  a  director 
of  naval  construction;  8,  a  commissary-general. 
The  Secretariat  is  divided  into  two  bureaux,  each 
of  which  has  its  chief.  The  second  bureau  takes 
cognizance  of  the  "movements  of  the  fleet  and 
military  operations,"  and  is  presided  over  by  a 
naval  officer  of  rank.  Next  we  have  the  Navy 
Department  proper,  which  is  divided  into  five 
directions  (a  direction  corresponding  to  a  bureau 
in  our  Navy  Department),  each  direction  having 
two  or  more  bureaux ;  each  bureau  having  two  or 
more  sections.  Among  these  several  directions, 
bureaux,  and  sections  are  distributed  with  much 
precision  all  the  duties  of  an  extensive  and 
thorough  naval  administration.  The  Minister 
of  Marine  alone  is  responsible  to  the  chief  mag 
istrate  for  his  acts.  The  Board  of  Admiralty,  of 
which  he  is  president,  is  but  an  advisory  body, 
its  chief  and  only  important  duty  being  to  pre 
pare  the  annual  lists  of  officers  from  which  the 
selections  for  promotion  are  made.  It  has,  in 
fact,  but  little,  if  anything,  to  do  with  the  ad 
ministration  of  the  affairs  of  the  French  navy. 

It  may  be  said,  in  general,  that  under  a  lib 
eral  form  of  government,  like  that  of  the  United 
States  or  Great  Britain,  where  the  civil  power 
predominates,  the  head  of  the  navy  will  always 
be  a  civilian.  In  countries  where  the  military 
spirit  prevails  the  head  of  the  navy  will  always 
be  a  naval  officer  of  rank.  In  all  maritime 
countries  the  work  of  the  navy  department  must 
be  distributed  among  a  number  of  experts  and  a 
certain  clerical  force. 

AUSTRIA. — The  Minister  of  National  Defense 
presides  over  both  war  and  navy  departments. 
Under  his  general  supervision  a  vice-admiral 
administers  the  affairs  of  the  navy. 

DENMARK. — The  Minister  of  Marine  is  a  cab 
inet  officer  and  a  naval  officer  of  rank. 

GERMANY. — Has  a  Board  of  Admiralty,  with 
an  admiral  for  "  Inspector-General  of  the  Navy," 
and  a  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  ships  in 
commission. 

ITALY. — Has  a  Minister  of  Marine,  at  present 
a  rear-admiral,  assisted  in  his  duties  by  a  Board 
of  Admiralty. 

RUSSIA. — The  Minister  of  Marine  is  an  ad 
miral,  and  communicates  directly  with  the  sov 
ereign.  He  has  sole  charge  of  the  administra 
tive  department  of  the  navy,  while  the  executive 


branch  is  in  charge  of  the  High  Admiral  of  the 
fleet.  In  other  respects  the  organization  is  simi 
lar  to  that  of  the  French. 

SPAIN.— Has  a  Board  of  Admiralty. 

The  navy  departments  of  other  European  gov 
ernments  do  not  vary  in  any  important  point 
from  those  already  given.—  S.  B.  Luce,  Captain 
U.  S.  iv. 

Admiral.  Sir  Wm.  Monson,  writing  about 
1600,  says,  "There  have  been  often  disputes 
whether  the  title  of  Admiral  or  General  were 
more  proper  to  a  sea  commander ;  and  though  I 
dare  not  presume  to  conclude  of  either,  yet  I 
think  it  is  as  unproper  to  call  an  Admiral  General 
by  Sea  as  to  call  a  General  Admiral  by  Land, 
though  I  confess  their  authorities  are  like  in 
command  of  men's  persons,  yet  is  the  jurisdic 
tion  of  the  Admiral  by  sea  greater  than  the 
other,  in  that  he  ruleth  and  guideth  a  fleet  of 
ships,  which  are  of  more  importance  to  the  King 
and  State  than  the  lives  of  men  that  are  to  serve 
in  them." 

The  English  title  of  admiral, — in  French  and 
Danish,  amiral;  German,  ammiral ;  Dutch,  ad 
miral,  or  ammrael ;  Italian,  ammiraglio ;  Span 
ish,  almirante, — evidently  in  all  modern  lan 
guages  derived  from  the  same  source,  is  yet  of 
doubtful  etymology.  Most  of  the  old  writers 
trace  it  to  the  Arab  emir  or  amir,  a  prince  or 
ruler,  and  a  Greek  word  signifying  the  sea  ;  but 
Spelman,  who  condemns  this  "  Centaur"  deriva 
tion,  thinks  the  term  was  first  in  use  among  the 
Saracens,  and  from  thence  brought  to  England 
about  the  time  of  Richard  I.  or  Henry  III. ;  "  for 
I  find,"  he  says,  "  that  not  only  Amera  but  Al 
mirante  was  the  ordinary  title  of  the  Governors 
of  countries  through  all  the  territories  of  the 
Saracens,  even  from  Spain  when  they  possessed 
it,  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  Lesser  Asia,  and 
Mahomet  was  so  called  as  king,  a  name  of  dig 
nity  and  estimation."  In  the  great  ship  or 
dromond  taken  by  Richard  I.  from  the  Saracens 
there  were  seven  admirals. 

The  Earl  of  Berkeley  is  said  to  be  the  only  in 
dividual  not  of  royal  blood  who  has  ever  won  the 
flag  of  Lord  High  Admiral  of  Great  Britain  at 
sea.  At  the  age  of  20,  then  known  as  Lord 
Dursley,  he  was  captain  of  the  "  Lichfield,"  60, 
his  second  command.  When  23  he  commanded 
the  "  Boyne,"  80.  At  27  he  was  vice-admiral  of 
the  blue,  and  the  next  year  vice-admiral  of  the 
red.  March  29,  1719,  at  the  age  of  38,  he  hoisted 
his  flag  on  the  "  Dorsetshire"  as  Lord  High  Ad 
miral,  being  actually  Vice-Admiral  of  England 
and  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty. 

The  first  English  admiral  on  record  is  Richard 
de  Lacy,  to  whom,  1216-72,  Henry  III.  granted 
Maritimam  Angles.  Some,  however,  assert  that 
the  honor  belongs  to  Roger  de  Ley  burn,  who 
was  appointed  by  Edward  I.  Admirallus  Marifi 
Regis  A.D.  1297.  During  the  reign  of  Edward  I. 
there  were  three  admirals  in  contemporary  com 
mand  of  the  three  coasts  of  England,  one  having 
jurisdiction  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  Thames 
northward,  another  from  the  same  point  west 
ward,  and  another  of  the  west  coast,  including 
the  shores  of  Wales  and  Ireland. 

All  admirals  in  the  Royal  navy  were  wont 
anciently  to  carry  St.  George's  flag  at  the  head 
of  the  topmast,  but  on  the  accession  of  James  I. 
he  added  to  it  the  cross  of  St.  Andrew,  as  due  to 
Scotland.  The  Lord  High  Admiral  alone  was 


ADMIKAL 


22 


ADMIKAL 


permitted  to  wear  "  the  cross  of  the  arms  of  Eng 
land," — that  is,  the  standard  of  England  at  the 
main.  He  had  also  the  power  in  the  sixteenth 
century  to  permit  another  man  to  wear  the  bare 
English  flag  in  the  main-top  in  his  presence. 
Sir  Wm.  Monson  speaks  of  the  Rear-Admiral  as 
a  recent  invention,  and  says,  "  The  Vice- Admiral 
wears  his  flag  in  the  fore-top,  being  Vice- Ad 
miral,  so  he  is  to  wear  what  colored  flag  he 
pleases  in  the  main-top  as  Admiral  of  a  squadron. 
The  Rear- Admiral  wears  his  flag  in  the  mizzen, 
and  every  ship  besides  is  to  wear  a  streamer  of 
the  same  color  in  the  forehead  or  mizzen-yard  to 
be  distinguished  from  other  squadrons." 

The  Sicilians  or  Genoese  are  said  to  have  been 
the  first  who,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Crusades, 
conferred  the  rank  on  the  commander  of  a  squad 
ron  of  ships. 

"  St.  Louis"  introduced  the  title  into  France. 
The  rank  of  Admiral  was  formerly  equivalent  to 
that  of  a  Marshal  of  France,  and  a  decree  of 
Phillippe-le-Bel  ordains  tha't  "  each  wing  of  our 
army  must  be  commanded  by  a  Prince,  an  Ad 
miral,  or  a  Marshal."  It  also  constituted  the 
fourth  dignity  of  the  order  of  Malta.  The  ad 
mirals  of  France  possessed  such  great  preroga 
tives  that  Richelieu  suppressed  the  title,  and  in 
vested  himself  with  their  functions,  under  the 
name  of  "  Grand  Master,  Chief  and  Superin 
tendent-General  of  Navigation  and  Commerce." 
Louis  XIV.  revived  the  title  of  Grand  Admiral 
in  1669,  but  he  reserved  to  himself  the  nomina 
tion  of  the  officers  and  the  right  of  giving  orders 
direct  to  flag-officers.  Notwithstanding  these 
restrictions  the  privileges  attaching  to  this  post 
were  enormous,  comprising  the  nomination  of 
the  officers  belonging  to  the  naval  courts  of  jus 
tice,  the  delivery  of  passports,  permissions,  and 
furloughs,  the  countersigning  of  royal  decrees, 
and  the  receipt  of  a  tithe  of  all  prize-money  and 
fines  levied  in  admiralty  courts.  So  valuable 
were  these  privileges,  that  when  the  Due  de  Pen- 
thierre  abandoned  his  claims  to  them  in  1759,  he 
received  in  compensation  an  annual  grant  of 
about  $30,000,  which  was  regularly  paid  until 
the  revolution. 

The  first  "  Admiral  of  France"  was  Florent  de 
Varennes,  who,  appointed  by  St.  Louis,  accom 
panied  his  sovereign  in  the  expedition  to  Tunis  ; 
and  since  his  day  down  to  1791,  when  the  title 
was  abolished  by  the  National  Assembly,  it  was 
conferred  upon  59  different  persons. 

The  most  celebrated  of  these  naval  commanders 
were — 

Nicolas  Beluchetj  who  seized  Portsmouth,  Eng 
land,  in  1339 ; 

Jean  de  Vienne,  Seigneur  de  Clairveaux,  who 
was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Nicopolis  ; 

Gaspard,  Comte  de  Coligny,  a  victim  of  St.  Bar 
tholomew  ; 

Anne  de  Joyeusq,  a  devoted  adherent  of  Henry 
III.,  killed  at  the  battle  of  Contras  ; 

Francois  de  Coligny,  the  eldest  son  of  the  mur 
dered  admiral ; 

Charles  de  Gontaut,  Due  de  Biron,  the  trustiest 
counselor  of  Henry  IV.,  who  was  afterwards  be 
headed  for  high  treason  ;  and 

Francois  de  Vendome,  Due  of  Beaufort,  nick 
named  "Le  Roy  des  Halles,"  who,  appointed 
Grand  Master  of  Navigation,  was  killed  at  the 
siege  of  Candia. 

The  Comte  de  Vermendois  and  the  Comte  de 


Toulouse  were  also  appointed  "Admirals  of 
France,"  one  at  the  age  of  two,  and  the  other  at 
the  age  of  five,  years. 

Napoleon,  in  1805,  conferred  the  dignity  of 
"  Grand  Admiral"  on  Murat ;  but  the  post,  abol 
ished  at  the  revolution,  was  merely  honorary, 
and  as  such  was  held  by  the  Due  de  Angouleme 
after  the  Restoration.  The  title  of  "  Grand  Ad 
miral"  was  finally  suppressed  after  the  revolu 
tion  of  1830. 

The  French  have  now  the  titles  of  admiral, 
vice-admiral,  and  rear-admiral  in  their  navjr. 

On  the  establishment  of  the  Continental  navy, 
or  a  few  months  later,  viz.,  November  15,  1776, 
having  established  the  rank  and  command  of 
the  captains  the  month  previous,  Congress  re 
solved  that  an  "  admiral  should  rank  as  a  gen 
eral  ;  a  vice-admiral  as  a  lieutenant-general ;  a 
rear-admiral  as  a  major-general;"  evidently 
looking  to  the  addition  of  those  ranks  to  the 
navy.  The  prejudices  of  the  people,  however, 
prevented  the  establishment  of  such  high-sound 
ing  titles  (?),  and,  until  1862,  no  officers  were 
commissioned  in  the  United  States  navy  of  higher 
rank  than  captain,  except  in  1859,  when,  in  spe 
cial  compliment  to  his  services,  Charles  Stewart 
was  commissioned  as  "  Senior  Flag-Officer." 

The  act  of  July  16,  1862,  reorganizing  the 
navy,  was  the  first  to  recognize  the  necessity  of 
the  grade,  and  authorized  the  commissioning  of 
not  more  than  nine  rear-admirals  on  the  active 
list,  and  nine  on  the  retired  or  reserved  list,  the 
former  "to  be  selected,  during  the  war,  from 
those  commanders  who  have  distinguished  them 
selves,  or  shall  hereafter  eminently  distinguish 
themselves,  by  courage,  skill,  and  genius  in  their 
profession ;  Provided,  That  no  officer  shall  be 
promoted  to  this  grade  unless,  upon  recommen 
dation  of  the  President,  by  name,  he  has  received 
the  thanks  of  Congress  for  distinguished  ser 
vice.  During  times  of  peace  vacancies  to  this 
grade  shall  be  filled  by  regular  promotion  from 
the  list  of  commodores,  subject  to  examination 
as  to  mental,  moral,  physical,  and  professional 
qualifications."  "  The  three  senior  rear-admirals 
were  to  wear  a  square  blue  flag  at  the  mainmast- 
head,  the  next  three  at  the  foremast-head,  and 
all  others  at  the  mizzen."  Rear-admirals  to  have 
relative  rank  with  major-generals. 

The  same  law  authorized  nine  rear-admirals 
on  the  retired  list,  ranking  relatively  with  major- 
generals,  who  were  to  be  selected  by  the  Presi 
dent,  by  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Senate, 
"  from  those  captains  who  have  given  most  faith 
ful  service  to  the  country."  After  these  were 
commissioned,  promotion  to  rear-admiral  on  the 
retired  list  was  to  be  by  seniority,  subject  to  an 
advisory  board. 

Under  this  law  David  G.  Farragut,  Louis  M. 
Goldsborough,  Samuel  F.  Dupont,  and  Andrew 
H.  Foote  were  commissioned  July  16,  1862, 
Charles  H  Davis  and  John  A.  Dahlgren,  Febru 
ary  7,  1863,  David  D.  Porter,  July  4,  1863,  on 
the  active  list,  and  Charles  Stewart,  William  B. 
Shubrick,  Joseph  Smith,  George  W.  Stone, 
Francis  H.  Gregory,  Elias  F.  Lavallette,  S.  H. 
Stringham,  Samuel  L.  Breese,  Hiram  Paulding, 
George  C.  Read,  on  the  retired  list.  Rear- Ad 
miral  George  C.  Read  died  on  the  22d  of  August, 
1862,  the  first  rear-admiral  to  die  in  our  navy, 
and  Rear- Admiral  Lavallette  died  on  the  18th  of 
November  following.  Of  all  the  above-named 


ADMIRAL 


23 


ADOKNINGS 


rear-admirals,  in  1880  all  were  dead  excepting 
Rear-Admiral  David  D.  Porter,  then  the  admiral 
of  the  navy. 

Under  this  law,  as  senior  rear-admiral,  Far 
ragut  hoisted  his  plain  square  blue  flag  at  New 
Orleans,  on  the  mainmast-head  of  the  "  Hart 
ford."  He  received  his  commission  August  12, 
1862,  and  the  next  morning,  on  the  hoisting  of 
the  colors,  his  flag  was  run  up  for  the  first  time 
at  the  main,  when  it  was  saluted  by  the  whole 
squadron  ;  soon  after  which  the  flag-ship  "  Hart 
ford,"  accompanied  by  the  "  Brooklyn,"  pro 
ceeded  down  the  river,  the  remaining  ships  of 
the  squadron  dipping  their  ensigns  as  the  "  flag 
ship"  passed.  This  was  the  first  admiral's  flag 
hoisted  at  the  main  in  our  navy.  Subsequently 
the  law  was  amended,  and  Farragut,  as  a  rear- 
admiral,  retrograded  his  flag  to  the  mizzen, 
thence,  on  his  promotion  to  vice-admiral,  ad 
vanced  it  to  the  fore,  and  on  his  promotion  to 
admiral,  July  25,  1866,  raised  it  again  high  up 
on  the  main. 

On  the  21st  of  December,  1864,  the  grade  of 
vice-admiral  was  first  introduced  into  our  navy, 
and  Farragut  was  our  first  vice-admiral.  On 
his  promotion  to  a  full  "admiral,"  July,  1866, 
Rear- Admiral  David  D.  Porter  was  made  a  vice- 
admiral,  and  on  the  death  of  Farragut,  August, 
1870,  he  was  made  admiral  of  the  navy,  and 
Stephen  C.  Rowan  vice-admiral.  Under  existing 
laws,  on  the  death  of  the  present  admiral  and 
vice-admiral  those  grades  become  extinct  in  our 
navy,  and  rear-admiral  will  be  the  highest  rank. 

At  present  there  are  in  the  United  States  navy 
one  admiral,  one  vice-admiral,  and  eleven  rear- 
admirals  on  the  active  list,  and  forty-two  on  the 
retired  list,  who  have  been  retired  for  long  and 
faithful  service. 

An  admiral  may  command  a  fleet  or  fleets. 

A  vice-admiral  may  command  a  fleet,  or  a 
division  of  a  fleet  under  the  admiral ;  be  com- 
rnander-in-chief  of  a  squadron  ;  or  may  com 
mand  a  naval  station. 

A  rear-admiral  may  command  a  fleet  or  squad 
ron,  a  squadron  or  division  under  an  admiral  or 
vice-admiral ;  be  chief  of  staff  of  a  naval  force 
under  an  admiral  or  vice-admiral  ;  or  may  com 
mand  a  naval  station. — George  H.  Preble,  Rear- 
Admiral  U.S.N. 

Admiral.  The  epithet  of  admiral  was  for 
merly  applied  to  any  large  or  leading  ship,  with 
out  regard  to  flag,  and  is  still  used  in  the  whale- 
and  cod-fisheries.  The  first  vessel  to  arrive  in 
any  port  in  Newfoundland  retains  this  title 
during  the  season,  the  second  becomes  the  vice- 
admiral,  and  the  third  the  rear-admiral. 

Admiral.  A  shell  of  the  genus  Conus.  The 
varieties  are  designated  as  the  grand-admiral, 
the  vice-admiral,  the  orange-admiral,  and  the 
extra-  admiral. 

Admiralty.  ' '  The  Admiralty"  means  the  Lord 
High  Admiral  of  England,  or  the  commission 
ers  for  executing  his  office,  commonly  called  the 
Board  of  Admiralty.  It  dates  from  1512,  when 
Henry  VIII.  appointed  a  board  of  commission 
ers  to  examine  into  and  report  upon  the  state  of 
the  navy.  In  1660,  James,  Duke  of  York,  be 
came  the  first  Lord  High  Admiral.  On  his  ac 
cession  to  the  throne  (1685)  the  office  was  put 
in  commission.  On  the  accession  of  William 
and  Mary  (1689)  Parliament  passed  an  act  legal 
izing  and  rendering  permanent  the  board  of  ex 


perts  that  had  from  time  to  time  been  called 
upon  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the  navy.  The 
office  remained  in  commission  till  1702,  when 
George,  Prince  of  Denmark,  became  Lord  High 
Admiral.  The  office  was  again  in  commission 
from  1708  to  1827,  when  William,  Duke  of  Clar 
ence,  the  "  Sailor  Prince,"  became  Lord  High 
Admiral.  He  resigned  August  12,  1828.  Since 
then  the  office  has  been  in  commission,  and  will 
probably  remain  so,  till  the  present  Duke  of 
Edinburgh  is  appointed  to  fill  it. 

The  Board  of  Commissioners  is  thus  constituted, 
under  Orders  in  Council,  19th  March,  1872 : 

(1)  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  First  Naval 
Lord,  Second  Naval  Lord,  Junior  Naval  Lord, 
Civil  Lord. 

(2)  The  Parliamentary  Secretary,  Permanent 
Secretary,  Naval  Secretary. 

(3)  The  Comptroller  of  the  Navy,  assisted  by  a 
Deputy  Comptroller,  and  Director  of  Dock- Yards. 

(4)  The  First  Lord  to  be  responsible  to  the 
Crown  and  to  Parliament  for  all  the  business 
of  the  Admiralty,  divided  as  follows :   (a)  The 
First  Naval  Lord,  Second  Naval  Lord,  and  Ju 
nior  Naval  Lord  to  be  responsible  to  the  First 
Lord  of  the  Admiralty  for  the  administration  of 
so  much  of  the  business  relating  to  the  personnel 
of  the  navy,  and  to  the  movement  and  condi 
tion  of  the  fleet,  as  shall  be  assigned  to  them 
from  time  to  time  by  the  First  Lord,     (b)  The 
Comptroller  to  be  responsible  to  the  First  Lord 
for  the  administration  of  so  much  of  the  business 
as  relates  to  the  materiel  of  the  navy,  the  Comp 
troller  to  have  the  right  to  attend  the  board,  and 
to  explain  his  views,  whenever  the  First  Lord 
shall  submit  to  the  board  for  their  opinion  de 
signs  for  ships,  or  any  other  matters  emanating 
from   the-  Comptroller's   department,      (c)   The 
Parliamentary  Secretary  to  be  responsible  to  the 
First  Lord  for  the  finance  of  the  department,  and 
for  so  much  of  the  other  business  of  the  Ad 
miralty  as  may  be  assigned  to  him.     (d)  The 
Civil  Lord,  the  Permanent  Secretary,  and  the 
Naval  Secretary  to  have  such  duties  as  shall  be 
assigned  to  them  by  the  First  Lord.     The  First 
Lord  is  nearly  always  appointed  from  civil  life. 

THE  ADMIRALTY,  the  Navy  Office,  Whitehall, 
London. — S.  B.  Luce,  Captain  U.S.N. 

Admiralty  Courts  (in  law).  The  Constitution 
declares  that  the  judicial  power  of  the  United 
States  shall  extend  ...  a  to  all  cases  of  admiralty 
and  marine  jurisdiction."  By  act  of  Congress  a 
district  court  of  the  United  States  is  empowered 
to  sit  as  an  admiralty  court  for  the  trial  of  all 
ordinary  causes  originating  on  the  high  seas,  or 
on  rivers,  ports,  or  harbors  communicating  with 
the  sea.  The  more  serious  cases  are  referred  to 
the  circuit  courts,  sitting  as  courts  of  admiralty. 

Admiralty  Droits.  The  revenue  arising  from 
enemies'  ships  detained  in  prospect  of  war  ;  from 
enemies'  ships  coming  into  port  in  ignorance 
of  hostilities  ;  from  ships  captured  by  non-com 
missioned  captors  ;  from  the  proceeds  of  wrecks 
and  goods  of  pirates. 

Admiralty  Midshipman.  (Eng.)  Formerly 
one  who,  having  served  his  time  and  passed 
his  examination,  was  appointed  to  a  ship  by  the 
admiralty,  in  contradistinction  to  those  who  were 
rated  by  the  captain. 

Adonis.     An  anguilliform  fish. 

Adornings.  The  ornamental  work  on  the 
quarter  and  stern  galleries, 


ADOWN 


24 


AFT 


Adown.  The  bawl  of  privateersmen  for  the 
crew  of  the  captured  vessel  to  go  below. 

Adreamt.     Dozing. 

Adrift.  Floating  at  random.  The  state  of  a 
vessel  or  boat  broken  from  her  moorings  and 
driven  to  and  fro  by  the  wind,  sea,  or  tide.  Also 
used  of  a  thing  that  has  broken  from  its  place ; 
as,  a  gun  from  the  ship's  side,  etc. 

Ad  Valorem.  In  its  application  to  custom 
duties  signifies  a  duty  or  tax  on  importations 
that  is  levied  with  reference  to  the  value  of  the 
goods. 

Advance.  An  amount  of  an  officer's  salary 
which  he  is  allowed  to  receive  in  advance  when 
ordered  on  sea-duty.  If  ordered  to  the  Asiatic 
Station  he  may  draw  three  months'  pay  in  ad 
vance,  and  on  other  sea-duty  two  months'  pay. 
The  advance  is  paid  by  navy  pay  agents,  on  presen 
tation  of  the  officer's  orders,  upon  which  the  pay 
agent  must  indorse  the  payment.  This  indorse 
ment  is  notice  to  the  paymaster  of  the  vessel  to 
which  the  officer  is  ordered,  and  it  is  his  duty  to 
deduct  the  advance  from  the  officer's  future  earn 
ings.  Officers  ordered  to  a  vessel  in  a  United  States 
port  are  entitled  to  receive  their  current  pay  up 
to  the  date  of  sailing,  without  regard  to  the  ad 
vance  received  from  the  pay  agent.  Officers  re 
ceiving  an  advance  are  required  to  give  notice 
thereof  in  writing  to  the  paymaster  of  the  vessel 
to  which  they  are  ordered.  Failure  to  do  so  will 
be  deemed  scandalous  conduct  and  a  violation 
of  general  orders. 

Advance.  To  move  forward.  Advance,  or 
vanguard,  is  that  portion  of  a  force  which  moves 
in  front  of  the  main  body.  Advance  list  is  the 
list  on  which  are  registered  the  names  of  those 
who  receive  advance  money.  Advance  note  is  a 
note  issued  by  owners  of  ships,  promising  to  pay 
a  specified  sum  to  a  seaman  within  a  specified 
number  of  days  after  he  has  sailed  on  a  voyage. 

Advancement.  Promotion  to  a  higher  rank 
or  grade. 

Advantage,  or  Vantage-ground,  is  that  which 
affords  the  greatest  facility  in  attack  or  defense. 

Adventure.  An  undertaking  involving  haz 
ard  ;  used  in  a  commercial  sense  to  signify  a  spec 
ulation  in  goods  sent  abroad  to  be  sold  or  bartered 
for  profit.  A  bill  of  adventure  is  one  signed  by 
the  merchant,  in  which  he  takes  the  chances  of 
the  voyage. 

Adversary.  A  term  applied  to  an  enemy,  but 
strictly  confined  to  an  opponent  in  single  combat. 

Adverse.  The  opposite  of  favorable ;  as,  an 
adverse  wind  or  tide. 

Advice.  Counsel ;  suggestion.  Advices,  in 
telligence  ;  news. 

Advice-boat.  A  vessel  to  carry  dispatches. 
They  were  first  used  in  1692,  previous  to  the  bat 
tle  of  La  Hogue. 

Advocate.  A  counselor ;  one  who  pleads  the 
cause  of  another.  See  JUDGE  ADVOCATE. 

Adze,  or  Addice.  A  tool  for  dubbing  flat  or 
circular  work.  It  is  much  used  in  the  East, 
where  it  takes  the  place  of  axe,  plane,  and 
chisel. 

IE,.  See  CLASSIFICATION  OF  MERCHANT  VES 
SELS. 

.ffiinautae.  Senators  of  Miletus,  who  held 
their  deliberations  on  board  ship. 

./Eratae.     Ancient  ships  with  brazen  prows. 

Aerator.  An  apparatus  for  aerating  water. 
Distilled  water  has  an  insipid  taste  unless  it  is 


subjected  to  the  action  of  the  air  before  being 
used.  The  same  effect  maybe  obtained  by  throw 
ing  calcareous  substances  into  water  confined  in 
an  air-tight  vessel.  An  apparatus  for  fumigating 
grain. 

Aerography.  The  description  of  the  atmos 
phere,  its  nature,  properties,  limits,  etc. 

Aerolites.  Solid  bodies  which  descend  to  the 
earth's  surface  from  beyond  the  atmosphere. 
They  are  composed  principally  of  iron  and  a 
small  percentage  of  nickel  and  cobalt. 

Aerolites,  meteors,  fire-balls,  and  shooting-stars 
are  classed  together  as  being  merely  varieties  of  the 
same  phenomenon.  There  is  but  little  doubt  that 
aerolites  are  bodies  revolving  about  the  sun  like 
the  planets,  and  are  encountered  by  the  earth  in 
its  annual  motion  around  the  sun.  The  comets, 
like  the  earth,  must  encounter  an  immense  num 
ber  of  these  bodies,  and  a  part  of  their  motion 
must  be  thereby  destroyed.  This  effect  may  be 
appreciable  in  the  case  of  periodic  comets,  though 
thus  far  it  is  inappreciable  in  the  case  of  the 
earth  and  the  other  planets. 

Aerology.  The  doctrine  of  air ;  generally 
applied  to  medical  discussions  respecting  its  salu 
brity. 

Aeromancy.  Formerly,  the  art  of  divining  by 
the  air.  In  modern  times  it  means  the  foretelling 
of  the  weather  by  experience  or  by  instruments. 

Aerometer.  An  instrument  for  making  cor 
rections  in  pneumatic  experiments. 

Aerometry.  The  science  of  measuring  the 
air,  its  power,  pressure,  and  properties. 

Aeronaut.     A  navigator  of  the  air. 

Aeronautics.     The  art  of  navigating  the  air. 

Aerostatics.  The  science  that  treats  of  the 
equilibrium  and  pressure  of  the  air  and  other 
gases. 

^Estuary.     See  ESTUARY. 

/Ewul.     A  basket  for  catching  fish. 

Afeard.     Afraid. 

Afer.     The  southwest  wind  of  the  Latins. 

Affair.  An  engagement  of  minor  importance. 
An  affair  of  honor,  a  duel. 

Affidavit.  A  written  statement  attested  by 
the  oath  of  the  person  making  it  and  subscribed 
by  him.  To  give  the  oath  legal  effect  it  must  be 
administered  by  a  person  thereunto  authorized 
by  law,  who  appends  his  certificate,  technically 
called  a  "jurat."  An  affidavit  differs  from  a 
deposition  in  being  ex  parte,  the  person  making 
it  not  being  subject  to  cross-examination. 

Affirm.  To  make  a  solemn  promise  to  tell  the 
truth  under  the  pains  and  penalties  of  perjury. 
To  confirm. 

Affirmative.  The  signal,  the  hoisting  of  which 
implies  assent. 

Affluent.  A  stream  flowing  directly  into 
another  stream ;  a  more  specific  term  than  tribu 
tary. 

Affreightment.  A  contract  for  the  letting  of 
a  vessel,  or  a  part  of  her,  for  freight.  See  CON 
TRACT  OF  AFFREIGHTMENT. 

Afloat.  Buoyed  up  and  supported  by  the 
water  ;  on  board  ship. 

Afore.     Farther  forward,  the  same  as  before. 

Afoul.    See  FOUL. 

Africa.     See  CONTINENTS. 

Aft.  Abbreviation  of  abaft.  Right  aft,  ex 
actly  astern.  To  haul  a  sheet  aft,  to  p'ull  the 
rope  attached  to  the  clew  more  towards  the  stern 
of  the  ship. 


AFT-CASTLE 


25 


AIK-FUNNEL 


Aft-castle.  In  ancient  days,  a  tower  erected 
aft,  on  the  upper  deck.  See  FORECASTLE. 

After.  Comparative  adjective  applied  to  any 
object  in  the  rear  part  of  a  vessel.  After-sails, 
-yards,  -braces,  -bowlines,  those  on  the  main-  and 
mizzen-masts.  After-body,  that  portion  of  the 
ship's  body  abaft  dead  flat.  After-clap,  a  subse 
quent  unexpected  event.  After-end^  the  rear 
end.  After-face,  the  rear  face. 

Afterguard.  The  men  who  are  stationed  on 
the  quarter-deck  and  poop  to  man  the  gear.  It 
is  generally  composed  of  landsmen,  and  they  are 
not  required  to  go  aloft  except  to  loose  and  furl 
the  mainsail. 

After-Hood.  The  aftermost  plank  in  a  strake, 
outside  or  inside. 

Afternoon-watch.  The  period  of  time  from 
noon  till  four  o'clock.  The  men  on  duty  during 
that  time. 

After-peak.  The  contracted  part  of  the  hold 
which  lies  in  the  vessel's  run ;  the  aftermost  por 
tion  of  the  hold. 

After-rake.     The  overhang  of  the  stern. 

After-timbers.  The  timbers  abaft  the  mid 
ship  section. 

Aftmost,  Aftermost.  The  objects  nearest  the 
stern. 

Aftward.     Towards  the  stern. 

Aga.     A  superior  Turkish  officer. 

Against  the  Sun.     See  WITH  THE  SUN. 

Agal-Agal.  One  of  the  sea  fuci.  It  derives 
its  name  from  Tanjong  Agal,  on  the  coast  of 
Borneo.  It  is  thought  the  material  for  edible 
birds '-nests  is  derived  from  this  fucus. 

Agare.  The  American  aloe  from  which  cord 
age  is  made. 

Age.  In  chronology,  a  period  of  a  hundred 
years. 

AGE  OF  THE  MOON.  The  time  elapsed  since 
the  last  conjunction. 

AGE  OF  THE  TIDE.  The  interval  between 
the  transit  of  the  moon  at  which  a  tide  originates 
and  the  appearance  of  the  tide  itself.  Called 
also  Retard  of  the  Tide. — See  TIDE. 

Agea.  The  horse-block  or  grating  on  ancient 
boats  from  which  the  captain  gave  his  orders. 

Agent.  One  intrusted  with  the  business  of 
another.  See  LLOYD'S  AGENTS. 

COMMERCIAL  AGENT,  a  United  States  consu 
lar  officer.  These  officers  are  peculiar  to  the 
United  States,  and  are  not  regarded  by  other 
powers  as  entitled  to  the  rank  and  privilege  of 
consuls. 

Agent,  Navy  Pay.  An  officer  of  the  pay 
corps  in  charge  of  a  navy  pay  office.  His  duties 
are  to  advertise  for  and  purchase  all  supplies  re 
quired  by  the  Navy  Department  and  its  bureaus 
for  the  use  of  every  branch  of  the  navy ;  to  pay 
mileage  and  traveling  expenses  of  officers  travel 
ing  under  orders ;  to  make  advances  to  officers 
ordered  to  sea ;  to  pay  allotments ;  to  furnish 
transportation  for  enlisted  men ;  to  pay  certifi 
cates  of  indebtedness  issued  by  the  Fourth  Audi 
tor  to  claimants,  and  to  act  as  a  general  disburs 
ing  agent  for  the  Navy  Department.  He  renders 
complete  quarterly  returns  to  the  Fourth  Auditor. 
Navy  pay  offices  are  established  in  Boston,  New 
York  City,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Washington, 
Norfolk,  and  San  Francisco. 

Aggression.  The  first  act  in  provoking  hos 
tilities. 

Agon.    A  Chinese  cymbal.     See  GONG. 


Agreement.  (Eng.)  In  vessels  of  more  than 
eighty  tons  the  master  must  enter  into  an  agree 
ment  with  every  seaman  on  board,  and  that 
agreement  must  be  in  the  form  sanctioned  by  the 
Board  of  Trade. 

KUNNING  AGREEMENT  is  an  agreement  ex 
tending  over  several  voyages  when  they  are  less 
than  six  months  in  duration. 

Aground.  The  situation  of  a  ship  when  she 
touches  or  rests  on  the  bottom. 

Aguada.  The  Spanish  and  Portuguese  term 
for  a  watering-place. 

Ahead.  Farther  onward,  or  immediately  be 
fore  the  ship. 

AHEAD  OF  THE  BECKONING.  Beyond  the 
position  as  determined  by  logging. 

Ahold.  To  lay  a  ship  ahold  is  to  bring  her  to 
lie  as  close  to  the  wind  as  possible. 

Ahoo.     Awry,  aslant,  lopsided. 

Ahoy.  An  exclamation  used  in  hailing  a  ship ; 
as,  ship  ahoy  !  It  means  literally  stop. 

Ahull.  A  ship  under  bare  poles,  with  her 
helm  lashed  a-lee,  lying  nearly  broadside  on  to 
the  wind  and  sea. 

Aich's  Metal.     See  GUN-METAL. 

Aid.    Assistance. 

Aid.  (See  EXECUTIVE  OFFICER.)  An  officer 
not  above  the  rank  of  lieutenant  on  the  personal 
staff  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  under  the 
immediate  direction  of  the  chief  of  staff  to  per 
form  such  duties  as  may  be  assigned  him,  includ 
ing  that  of  secretary. 

The  commanding  officer  of  a  vessel  is  em 
powered  to  detail  a  junior  officer  to  act  as  his 
personal  aid. 

There  is  attached  to  each  navy-yard  or  station 
an  officer  not  above  the  grade  of  commander, 
who  is  called  senior  aid  to  the  commander,  who 
acts  as  his  principal  aid  in  regard  to  the  duties 
of  the  yard. 

Aigre.  The  sudden  flowing  of  the  sea.  See 
BORE. 

Aiguade.     (Fr.)    Water  for  ship's  use. 

Aiguilletes.  (Fr.)  Tagged  points  or  cords 
worn  across  the  breast  on  some  uniforms. 

Ailettes.  Small  plates  of  metal  placed  on  the 
shoulders  on  mediaeval  armor,  the  prototype  of 
the  modern  epaulet. 

Aim.  The  pointing  of  a  weapon  at  the  target. 
An  order  to  point  the  weapon  at  the  object. 

Aim-frontlet.  (Obsolete.)  A  piece  of  wood 
hollowed  out  to  fit  the  muzzle  of  a  gun  so  as  to 
give  a  line  of  sight  parallel  with  the  axis  of  the 
bore. 

Air.  The  atmosphere;  the  fluid  which  we 
breathe. 

To  AIR.     To  dry ;  to  ventilate. 

Air-bladder.  A  peculiar  organ  in  some  kinds 
of  fishes  by  which  they  maintain  their  equi 
librium  in  the  water. 

Air-blast.  A  current  of  air  induced  by  a 
blower.  See  BLOWER. 

Air-casing.  A  sheet-iron  casing  around  the 
smoke-stack  to  protect  the  deck. 

Air-chamber.  A  cavity  containing  air  to  act 
as  a  spring  for  equalizing  the  flow  of  a  liquid  in 
a  hydraulic  machine.  See  ORDNANCE. 

Air  Engine.  An  engine  put  in  motion  by  hot 
air  instead  of  steam ;  a  caloric  engine. 

Air-funnel.  A  cavity  formed  by  the  omission 
of  a  timber  in  the  upper  works  to  admit  fresh 
air  into  a  ship's  hold  and  convey  the  foul  air  out. 


AIR-FURNACE 


26 


A-LEE 


Air-furnace.  A  furnace  with  a  natural  draft 
and  110  blast. 

Air-gun.  A  pneumatic  machine  for  propel 
ling  projectiles.  They  have  been  constructed  to 
carry  as  far  as  an  ordinary  musket. 

Air-hole.  A  cavity  in  a  casting  formed  by 
bubbles  in  the  molten  liquid.  A  vent-hole  in  a 
mold.  A  hole  in  the  ice.  A  draft-hole  in  a 
register.  A  small  hole  in  a  cask  to  admit  air 
when  the  faucet  is  turned  on. 

Airing  Stage.  A  platform  on  which  gun 
powder  is  aired  and  dried. 

Air-jacket.  A  garment  capable  of  being  in 
flated  and  used  as  a  life-preserver. 

Air-pipe.  Funnels  for  clearing  ships'  holds  of 
foul  air.  A  small  pipe  leading  from  the  hot  well 
outboard. 

Air-port.  A  scuttle  cut  in  the  bow,  stern,  or 
sides  of  a  ship  to  admit  air  and  light. 

Airs.     Light  breezes. 

Air-scuttle.  A  scuttle  cut  in  the  deck  or  grat 
ing  for  the  admission  of  air. 

Air-thermometer.  An  instrument  in  which 
the  contraction  and  expansion  of  the  air  meas 
ure  the  temperature. 

Air-tube.  A  small  tube  suspended  in  the 
coal-bunker  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the 
temperature  of  the  coal,  as  a  precaution  against 
spontaneous  combustion. 

Air-valve.     See  VACUUM-VALVE. 

Akreyri.  A  town  of  Iceland,  on  the  Eyiafiord. 
Lat.  65°  40'  N. ;  Ion.  18°  W.  It  has  an  excellent 
harbor. 

Akyab.  A  town  and  seaport  of  British  Bur- 
mah,  in  Aracan,  on  the  E.  side  of  the  island  of 
Akyab.  It  has  an  excellent  harbor.  Pop.  15,281. 

Alamak.     7  Andromedte. 

Alamottie.  Mother  Gary's  chicken  ;  the  storm 
finch  ;  the  stormy  petrel. 

Aland.     An  old  word  for  ashore,  or  to  land. 

Alarcon,  Hernando  de.  A  Spanish  naviga 
tor  of  the  16th  century,  to  whom  we  owe  the 
first  precise  knowledge  of  California.  He  sailed 
May  9,  1540,  in  the  service  of  Spain,  missed  a 
junction  with  the  expedition  of  Coronado  on  the 
western  coast  of  America,  and,  returning  to  New 
Spain  in  1541,  drew  up  his  maps  and  observa 
tions.  His  discoveries,  and  those  of  Ulloa,  were 
so  complete  that  the  map  of  California  of  1541 
differs  little  from  that  made  in  our  own  day. 

Alarm.  Any  sound  or  information  intended 
to  give  notice  of  approaching  danger. 

FALSE  ALARM.  An  alarm  which  had  no 
foundation  in  fact,  being  given  through  misap 
prehension,  or  through  design,  in  order  to  exer 
cise  the  men  at  their  duties. 

Alarm-gauge.  A  contrivance  in  the  steam- 
engine  for  showing  when  the  pressure  of  steam 
is  too  high  or  the  water  in  the  boiler  too  low. 

Alarm-gun.     A  gun  fired  to  give  an  alarm. 

Alarmist.  One  who  habitually  excites  alarm  ; 
one  who  is  given  to  finding  causes  for  alarm. 

Alarms,  Marine.  Fog-bells,  trumpets,  horns, 
and  whistles  operated  by  the  waves,  winds,  tides, 
currents,  or  by  clock-work. 

Alarms,  Nautical.  Contrivances  on  board 
ship  to  indicate  a  leak  or  the  accumulation  of 
bilge-water. 

Albany-beef.     A  name  for  the  sturgeon. 

Albatross.  A  large  sea-bird  belonging  to  the 
genus  Diomeda. 

Alberton.    A  seaport  town  of  Prince  Edward 


Island.  The  port,  called  Cascumpeque,  or  Hol 
land  Harbor,  is  the  best  on  the  northern  side  of 
the  island.  Pop.  600. 

Albion.  A  name  for  England,  from  the  white 
ness  of  the  cliffs. 

Alburnum.  The  slab-cuts  of  timber  ;  the  sap- 
wood. 

Alcatraz.     The  pelican. 

Aldebaran.  A  star  of  the  first  magnitude, 
popularly  known  as  the  Bull's-eye.  It  is  the 
bright  star  in  the  group  of  five  called  the  Ifyades, 
and  is  conspicuous  by  its  ruddy  color.  See 
TAURUS. 

Alden,  James,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N.  Born 
in  Maine.  Appointed  midshipman  from  same 
State,  April  1,  1828. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  June  14, 
1834  ;  navy-yard,  Boston,  1835  ;  exploring  expe 
dition  around  the  world,  1838-42. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant,  February  25, 
1841 ;  naval  station,  Boston,  1843  ;  frigate  "  Con 
stitution''  around  the  world,  second  time,  1844- 
46;  while  attached  to  this  vessel,  commanded  a 
boat  expedition  and  cut  out  several  war  junks 
from  under  the  guns  of  the  fort  at  Zuron  Bay, 
Cochin-China;  home  squadron  during  Mexican 
war ;  present  at  the  capture  of  Vera  Cruz,  Tus- 
pan,  and  Tobasco ;  naval  station,  Boston,  1847; 
coast  survey,  1848-60 ;  made  a  reconnoissance  of 
all  the  West  coast.  In  the  winter  of  1855-56, 
during  the  Indian  war  in  Puget  Sound,  volun 
teered  with  the  surveying  steamer  "  Active"  to 
co-operate  with  the  army,  and  rendered  important 
aid  in  bringing  the  war  to  a  close ;  by  his  timely 
arrival  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year  at  San 
Juan  Island,  prevented  a  collision  between  the 
British  naval  forces  and  the  United  States  troops ; 
assisted  in  landing  troops  enough  to  hold  the 
island  in  dispute  against  the  threatened  attack 
of  the  British. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  September  14, 
1855;  commanding  the  steamer  "South  Caro 
lina"  at  the  commencement  of  the  rebellion, 
May,  1861;  reinforced  Fort  Pickens,  while  block 
ading  Galveston,  Texas ;  had  a  fight  with  the 
batteries  in  the  rear  of  the  city  ;  while  there, 
captured  thirteen  schooners  laden  with  merchan 
dise  ;  commanded  sloop  "  Richmond"  at  the 
passage  of  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip  and  the 
engagement  with  Chalmette  batteries  and  de 
fenses  of  New  Orleans ;  passage  of  Vicksburg 
batteries  twice  ;  Port  Hudson,  1862-63. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  January  2,  1863; 
commanded  steam-sloop  "  Brooklyn"  in  the 
action  with  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines  and  the 
rebel  gunboats  in  Mobile  Bay ;  commanded  two 
attacks  on  Fort  Fisher.  Capt.  Alden  took  a 
prominent  part  in  all  the  great  naval  battles  of 
the  war,  and  was  handsomely  mentioned  in  the 
official  reports. 

Commissioned  as  commodore,  July  25,  1866 ; 
commanding  steam-sloop  "Susquehanna,"  spe 
cial  service,  1867 ;  commanding  steam-frigate 
"Minnesota,"  special  service,  1867-68;  com 
mandant  navy-yard,  Mare  Island,  California, 
1868-69;  Chief  of  Bureau  of  Navigation  and 
Detail,  Navy  Department,  1869-71  ;  promoted 
to  rear-admiral,  1871 ;  commanding  European 
Squadron,  1872  ;  retired,  1873 ;  died,  1877. 

A-lee.  The  contrary  of  a-weather.  The  po 
sition  of  the  helm  when  the  tiller  is  put  over  to 
the  lee  side  of  the  ship. 


ALEKT 


ALIEN 


HELM'S  A-LEE.  The  order  to  let  go  the  head- 
sheets  when  the  helm  is  down. 

Alert.  Watchful ;  vigilant ;  on  the  look-out, 
and  ready  for  any  emergency. 

Alewife.     A  fish  of  the  herring  kind. 

Alexandria.  A  celebrated  city  and  seaport  of 
Egypt,  near  the  westernmost  branch  of  the  Nile, 
on  the  Mediterranean,  112  miles  N.W.  of  Cairo. 
Alexandria  has  a  large  naval  arsenal,  naval  and 
military  hospitals.  The  city  has  an  excellent 
new  artificial  harbor,  formed  by  a  breakwater, 
mole,  and  quays.  It  has  regular  steam  commu 
nication  with  all  the  great  Mediterranean  ports, 
and  is  the  great  emporium  of  Egypt.  Pop. 
220,000. 

Alexandria.  A  city  and  port  of  entry  in  Vir 
ginia,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Potomac,  7  miles 
below  Washington.  The  river  here  is  a  mile 
wide,  and  forms  a  commodious  harbor  sufficiently 
deep  for  the  largest  ships.  Pop.  14,000. 

Alexiacus.     An  appellation  of  Neptune. 

Alfondiza.     The  custom-house  at  Lisbon. 

Alga.     A  species  of  millepora. 

Algae.  Flowerless,  cryptogamic  plants,  cel 
lular,  found  chiefly  as  sea- weeds,  but  also  in 
rivers,  marshes,  springs,  hot  and  cold,  and  moist 
places  everywhere.  About  2000  species  are  known 
and  have  been  described,  and  among  these  there 
is  a  great  variety  of  forms.  Some  are  attached 
to  rocks,  and  others  are  entirely  free.  None  of 
them  have  proper  roots,  but  merely  processes  for 
their  attachment  to  the  surfaces  on  which  they 
are  fixed.  They  derive  their  sustenance  exclu 
sively,  it  would  seem,  from  the  medium  sur 
rounding  them,  in  which  respect,  as  well  as  in 
their  composition,  they  differ  from  fungi.  Their 
substance  consists  chiefly  of  vegetable  gelatine, 
soluble  in  boiling  water ;  the  harder  parts  of 
their  fronds  are  sometimes  leathery,  or  horny,  or 
cartilaginous,  but  never  really  ligneous.  They 
are  composed  entirely  of  cells,  some  consisting 
of  one  cell  only ;  the  composite  ones  are  easily 
separable,  and  the  individual  cells  are  generally 
capable  of  independent  existence,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  proto-coccus,  or  red  snow  plant.  The 
spores  and  fronds  of  algae  are  frequently  of  the 
same  color,  the  most  common  colors  being  brown, 
or  orange-brown,  rose  color  approaching  red,  or 
green.  Algae  are  multiplied  by  division  of  cells 
and  by  spores.  Fertilization  is  effected  by  con 
jugation  or  union  of  cells,  the  contents  of  one 
passing  into  another  and  giving  rise  to  germi 
nating  spores.  This  is  seen  in  the  confervse 
of  stagnant  ponds.  Other  algae  are  fertilized 
by  moving  filaments  or  spermatozoids.  Others 
contain  a  rudimentary  cell  which,  by  contact 
with  spermatozoids,  becomes  a  spore  and  then  a 
new  plant.  There  are  also  zoospores  which 
move  about  in  the  water,  the  cells  ultimately 
bursting  and  scattering  them,  and  the  cilia  by 
which  they  moved  disappearing  as  the  spores  be 
come  fixed.  Many  of  the  algae  supply  nutritious 
food,  others  are  of  value  as  yielding  barilla,  an 
impure  carbonate  of  soda  largely  used  in  manu 
facturing,  and  all  are  useful  as  manure.  Some 
species  are  of  immense  length  and  size,  such  as 
Macrocystis  pyrifera,  Lessonia  fuscescens,  and 
D'lnvillea  utilis,  which  are  found  hundreds 
of  feet  long  and  as  thick  as  the  human  body. 
More  frequently,  however,  they  are  small,  vary 
ing  from  a  few  inches  to  several  feet  in  length, 
while  some  species  are  visible  only  through  the 


microscope.  The  distribution  of  algse  as  to 
depth  varies;  their  actual  depth  is  still  a  dis 
puted  point  with  naturalists.  It  is  impossible  in 
the  present  state  of  knowledge  to  estimate  their 
extreme  limit,  but  vegetation,  as  usually  under 
stood,  is  practically  limited  to  depths  under  100 
fathoms.  Very  few  of  the  higher  algse  live, 
even  occasionally,  on  the  surface  of  the  sea ;  a 
notable  exception  is  the  gulf-weed,  so  called 
(Sargassumbacciferum),  which  see. 

Algeciras.  A  seaport  town  of  Spain,  on  the 
W.  side  of  the  Bay  of  Gibraltar,  opposite  to  and 
6  miles  W.  of  Gibraltar.  Pop.  14,000. 

Algenib.     y  Pegasi. 

Algere.  A  spear  used  by  fishermen  in  olden 
times. 

Algiers.  A  city  of  North  Africa,  on  the  W. 
side  of  a  bay  of  its  own  name.  Lat.  36°  47'  3X/ 
N. ;  Ion.  3°  4'  5"  E.  The  harbor  has  a  mole 
580  feet  in  length  by  140  in  width,  extending 
from  the  mainland  to  an  inlet,  on  which  are  a 
strong  castle  with  batteries  and  a  light-house. 
Pop.  54,000. 

Algol.     A  variable  star  in  Perseus. 

Algorab.  a  Corvi,  but  its  brightness  of  late  is 
rivalled  by  ft  Corvi. 

Alibi.  The  Latin  word  meaning  elsewhere. 
Before  courts-martial,  as  well  as  in  those  of  civil 
jurisdiction,  when  an  accused  person  proves  that 
at  the  time  of  the  commission  of  the  alleged  of 
fense  he  was  somewhere  else  than  at  the  scene 
of  the  offending,  he  is  said  to  have  proven  an 
alibi. 

Alicante.  A  city  and  seaport  of  Spain,  lo 
cated  at  the  head  of  an  extensive  bay.  Lat. 
38°  27'  1"  N. ;  Ion.  0°  26'  W.  The  harbor  is 
onl}7  a  roadstead  in  a  deep  bay,  small  vessels 
alone  being  able  to  approach  the  quay.  Pop. 
30,000. 

Alidade.  The  movable  arm  of  an  instrument 
fitted  with  sights  or  a  telescope. 

Alien.  (Lat.  alienus,  belonging  to  another, 
foreign.)  In  England,  by  the  common  law,  an 
alien  was  one  born  out  of  the  king's  dominions  or 
allegiance.  The  only  exceptions  to  this  rule 
were  such  children  of  the  king  as  might  be  born 
abroad,  and  the  children  of  his  ambassadors  so 
born.  By  several  statutes,  to  wit :  25  Edw. 
III.,  passed  in  1350;  29  Charles  II.,  1676;  7 
Anne,  1708;  10  Anne,  1711;  4  Geo.  II.,  1731; 
13  Geo.  III.,  1773  ;  7  and  8  Viet.,  1844,  the  com 
mon  law  rule  has  been  altered,  so  that  now  all 
children  born  out  of  the  king's  allegiance  whose 
fathers  (or  grandfathers  by  the  father's  side)  or 
whose  mothers  were  natural-born  subjects,  are 
deemed  to  be  natural-born  subjects  themselves, 
unless  their  said  ancestors  were  attainted  or 
banished  beyond  sea  for  high  treason,  or  were  at 
the  birth  of  such  children  in  the  service  of  a 
prince  at  enmity  with  Great  Britain. 

In  this  country  an  alien  is  one  born  out  of  the 
limits  and  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States.  The 
children  of  fathers,  however,  who  at  the  time  of 
such  children's  birth  were  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  and  had  resided  in  the  United  States,  are, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  of  being  born  abroad, 
citizens.  An  alien  becomes  a  citizen  by  natural 
ization  (which  see).  In  time  of  war  a  valid  con 
tract  cannot  be  made  between  a  citizen  and  an 
alien  enemy,  nor  can  such  a  contract  be  enforced 
after  peace  has  been  declared  During  a  war  an 
alien  enemy  cannot  prosecute  an  action  of  any 


ALIGNMENT 


28 


ALMAFADAS 


kind  in  the  courts  of  the  United  States  ;  his  right 
of  action,  however,  revives  on  the  declaration  of 
peace.  See  INTERNATIONAL  LAW. 

Alignment.  An  imaginary  line  to  regulate 
the  formation  of  a  squadron. 

Alioth.     The  star  e  Ursce  Majoris. 

All.     The  whole  ;  quite. 

ALL  AGOG.     In  a  flurry  of  excitement. 

ALL  AHOO.     Confused  ;  awry  ;  aslant. 

ALL-A-TAUNT-O.  Fully  rigged  with  masts 
an-end,  yards  crossed,  and  rigging  rove. 

ALL  HANDS.     The  whole  ship's  company. 

ALL  HANDS!  The  boatswain's  summons  for 
the  whole  crew,  in  distinction  from  the  watch. 

ALL  KEADY  FORWARD,  ALL  KEADY  THE 
MAIN,  etc.  The  notice  that  a  particular  part 
of  the  ship  is  ready  for  the  next  order. . 

ALL  STANDING.  Fully  equipped.  To  be 
brought  up  all  standing  is  to  be  suddenly  stopped 
without  any  preparation. 

ALL'S  WELL.  The  sentry's  call  as  each  bell  is 
struck,  from  tattoo  to  reveille. 

ALL  TO  PIECES.     Out-and-out ;  excessively. 

ALL  WEATHERS.     All  times  and  all  seasons. 

ALL  IN  THE  WIND.     The  sails  shivering. 

ALL  OF  A  HEAP.     Dumfounded;  confused. 

STERN  ALL.  The  shout  of  the  harpooner 
when  the  fish  is  struck. 

HAUL  or  ALL.  To  swing  all  the  yards  at 
the  same  time. 

ALL  UP  AND  AFT.  The  report  of  the  officer 
of  the  deck  when  the  oificers  and  men  are  assem 
bled  on  the  quarter-deck  ready  for  muster. 

Allan.  A  piece  of  land  nearly  surrounded  by 
water. 

Allege.     (Fr.)     A  ballast-boat. 

Allegiance.  The  tie  which  binds  the  citizen 
to  his  sovereign  or  country.  Its  full  considera 
tion  involves  an  examination  of  the  right  of  a 
citizen  to  expatriate  himself,  a  matter  about 
which  there  is  a  conflict  of  theories.  The  com 
mon  law  of  England  denies  the  right  of  the 
subject  to  throw  off  his  allegiance  to  the  country 
of  his  birth,  and  European  nations  generally 
have  taken  the  same  position,  while  in  the 
United  States  we  require  of  persons  seeking 
naturalization  the  renunciation  of  their  former 
allegiance.  The  inherent  difficulties  of  the  sub 
ject  make  it  improbable  that  any  solution  will 
ever  be  attained  by  legislative  action,  but  it  may 
be  assumed  that  the  sense  of  humanity  of  en 
lightened  nations  at  this  day  will  prevent  being 
treated  as  criminals,  persons  who,  by  the  silent 
acquiescence,  and,  therefore,  the  presumed  con 
sent  ,of  the  country  of  their  birth,  have  removed 
to  other  countries  and  assumed  a  new  allegiance, 
even  if  they  should  be  taken  in  arms  against 
their  native  country.  Many  of  the  questions 
growing  out  of  the  subject  have  been  disposed 
of  by  treaties  between  the  United  States  and 
foreign  nations.  See  NATURALIZATION. 

Alley.  A  passage-way  between  the  tiers  of 
tanks  in  a  magazine.  (See  MAGAZINE.)  A 
passage-way  affording  means  of  access  to  the 
propeller-shaft. 

Alliance.  A  league  between  two  or  more 
friendly  powers,  either  offensive  and  defensive, 
or  defensive  only. 

Alligator.     The  American  crocodile. 

Alligator  Water.  The  muddy,  brackish  water 
near  the  mouth  of  tropical  rivers. 

Allision.    Synonymous  with  collision,  but  is 


sometimes  used  to  mark  a  distinction  between 
one  vessel  running  into  another,  and  two  vessels 
striking  each  the  other. 

Allotment.  That  part  of  the  pay  of  a  person 
on  duty  in  a  United  States  vessel  which  is  paid 
during  his  absence  to  some  person  on  shore.  Al 
lotments  may  be  granted  by  any  officer,  or, 
with  the  approval  of  the  commanding  officer,  by 
any  man  or  petty  officer  in  a  vessel  in  commis 
sion.  They  are  paid  by  navy  pay  agents  to  the 
allottees  on  the  last  day  of  every  month,  and  the 
paymaster  of  the  vessel  at  the  same  time  deducts 
the  amount  of  the  allotment  from  the  allottor's 
pay.  The  allottee  must  be  a  member  of  the 
allottor's  family,  or  some  person  who  receives 
the  money  for  the  benefit  of  said  family.  Allot 
ments  cannot  exceed  one-half  the  allottor's 
monthly  pay.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  paymaster 
having  charge  of  the  allottor's  account  to  deduct 
as  much  from  his  pay  as  is  paid  on  the  allotment, 
and,  in  case  of  death,  desertion,  or  discharge  of 
the  allottor,  to  give  notice  to  the  navy  pay  agent 
to  cease  payments  to  the  allottee.  The  Fourth 
Auditor  keeps  a  register  of  all  allotments,  the 
amounts  paid  to  the  allottees,  and  the  amounts 
checked  from  the  pay  of  the  allottors.  In  case 
more  is  deducted  from  the  pay  of  an  allottor 
than  is  paid  to  the  allottee,  the  difference  will  be 
paid  to  the  former  on  application  to  the  Fourth 
Auditor. 

Allowance.  Reimbursement  of  incidental  ex 
penses  or  losses  incurred  in  the  performance  of 
duty ;  as,  traveling  allowance,  allowance  to  pay 
masters  for  loss  on  clothing,  small  stores,  etc. 
A  gratuity  or  bounty  ;  as,  allowance  of  additional 
pay  on  re-enlistment.  A  commutation  ;  as,  allow 
ance  for  the  subsistence  of  pilots  in  officers' 
messes.  A  ration  or  fixed  quantity  of  food.  It 
is  double,  full,  two-thirds,  half,  or  short,  accord 
ing  to  circumstances.  (Commercial.}  A  cus 
tomary  deduction  from  the  gross  weight  of  goods, 
varying  in  different  countries. 

Alloy.  A  combination  of  metals  by  fusion. 
The  term  is  also  applied  to  the  metal  that  is 
mixed  with  gold  or  silver.  The  properties  of 
the  alloy  are  very  different  from  the  mean  of 
the  properties  of  the  constituents,  the  alloy  being 
harder,  more  tenacious,  less  ductile,  fusing  at  a 
lower  temperature,  and  more  easily  oxidized. 
Its  density  may  be  either  greater  or  less  than 
this  mean,  and  its  power  of  conducting  electricity 
is  less.  If  mercury  enter  into  a  combination,  it 
is  known  as  an  amalgam. 

Alluvion,  or  Alluvium.  A  deposit  of  earth, 
gravel,  etc.,  along  shores  or  banks,  caused  by 
the  washing  of  the  water,  or  by  the  precipitation 
of  substances  held  in  solution. "  Sea  alluvions  dif 
fer  from  those  of  rivers  in  that  they  form  a  slope 
toward  the  land. 

Ally.  A  confederate.  A  prince  or  state  united 
to  another  by  treaty.  See  ALLIANCE. 

Almacantars.  Circles  parallel  to  the  horizon, 
and  passing  through  every  meridian. 

ALMACANTARS  STAFF.  An  old  instrument  of 
15°  of  arc  to  observe  the  amplitude. 

Almady.  A  canoe  made  of  bark,  used  by  the 
natives  of  Africa  for  war  purposes.  The  name 
is  also  applied  to  a  boat  in  use  at  Calcutta,  often 
measuring  from  80  to  100  feet  in  length,  and 
generally  from  6  to  7  feet  in  breadth. 

Almafadas.  Large  dunnage  cut  on  the  coast 
of  Portugal. 


ALMANAC 


29 


ALMY 


Almanac.  A  calendar  of  the  days  and  months 
of  the  year,  to  which  is  generally  added  a  record 
of  the  feast-days  and  celestial  phenomena. 

Almanac,  The  Nautical.  As  the  astronomi 
cal  ephemeris  had  its  origin  in  the  necessity  for 
easy  and  accurate  prediction  of  the  phenomena 
and  configurations  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  so  the 
nautical  almanac  originated  in  connection  with 
the  necessity  for  safe  and  speedy  navigation. 
So  soon  as  out  of  sight  of  land  the  navigator  has 
but  one  sure  means  of  information  as  to  his  posi 
tion  at  sea ;  his  compass  gives  him  only  the  di 
rection  in  which  his  ship  lies  or  is  sailing ;  he 
must  rely  upon  the  heavens  alone  for  the  precise 
determination  of  his  position ;  and  the  problem 
of  longitude  and  latitude  is  capable  of  solution 
only  in  connection  with  some  prediction  (a  suit 
able  period  in  advance)  of  the  absolute  positions 
of  the  bodies  observed  at  the  time  when  the  ob 
servations  are  made  upon  them.  This  annual 
volume  of  such  predictions  of  the  positions  of 
the  heavenly  bodies  as  are  necessary  in  the  navi 
gation  of  ships  constitutes  the  nautical  almanac. 
In  general,  these  predictions  are  given  for  equi 
distant  intervals  of  time,  so  that  by  interpolation 
the  position  of  a  single  body,  or  the  relative  posi 
tion  of  two  bodies,  may  be  readily  computed  for 
any  intermediate  epoch.  Long  before  the  pub 
lication  of  the  first  nautical  almanac,  books  of 
predictions,  known  as  ephemerides,  had  been 
issued  from  time  to  time,  at  irregular  intervals, 
mostly  for  the  convenience  of  astronomers.  It 
required  simply  a  regulation  and  extension  of 
the  idea  of  these  volumes  to  make  up  a  nautical 
almanac.  The  nautical  almanac  proper  had  its 
origin  with  the  English  nation  about  the  middle 
of  the  18th  century.  It  owes  its  existence  to  a 
memorial  presented  to  the  Commissioners  of 
Longitude,  on  February  9,  1765,  by  Dr.  Maske- 
lyne,  in  which,  after  stating  many  facts  and  ex 
periments  to  prove  the  utility  of  the  lunar  method 
of  obtaining  the  longitude  at  sea,  he  concludes, 
that  "nothing  is  wanting  to  make  this  method 
generally  practicable  at  Sea  but  a  Nautical 
Ephemeris."  Dr.  Maskelyne  proposed  the  con 
struction  of  such  a  "Nautical  Ephemeris"  from 
the  "  New  and  Correct  Tables  of  the  Motions  of 
the  Sun  and  Moon,"  by  Tobias  Mayer.  The 
first  volume  issued  was  that  for  the  year  1767. 
Gradually  additions  were  made  to  the  nautical 
almanac,  and  improvements  introduced,  mostly, 
however,  in  the  direction  of  such  predictions  and 
ephemerides  as  were  of  more  service  to  the  as 
tronomer  than  to  the  navigator,  and  the  volume 
assumed  the  name  of  "  The  Nautical  Almanac 
and  Astronomical  Ephemeris,"  which  title  it  re 
tains  to  the  present  day.  The  most  important 
era  in  the  history  of  the  nautical  almanac  is 
marked  by  the  "  Report  of  the  Committee  of 
the  Astronomical  Society  of  London  relative  to 
the  Improvement  of  the  Nautical  Almanac," 
adopted  November  19,  1830.  One  very  great 
improvement  consisted  in  the  abolition  of  the 
use  of  apparent  time  in  all  the  computations  of 
the  nautical  almanac,  and  the  substitution  of 
mean  time  therefor.  (See  EPHEMERIS,  THE 
ASTRONOMICAL.)  The  entire  almanac  was  re 
modeled  by  this  committee ;  and  the  new  ar 
rangement  of  the  several  ephemerides  therein 
contained  has  formed  the  basis  of  all  subsequent 
nautical  almanacs,  and  has  remained  unchanged 
in  the  "  British  Nautical  Almanac"  up  to  the 


latest  volume, — that  for  the  year  1883.  "  The 
American  Nautical  Almanac"  had  its  origin 
nearly  a  century  after  the  "  British  Nautical 
Almanac."  On  March  3,  1849,  an  act  of  Con 
gress  was  approved  providing  for  the  prepara 
tion  of  such  a  work.  The  preparation  of  the 
first  volume — that  for  the  year  1855 — was  begun 
in  the  latter  part  of  1849,  and  the  series  of  vol 
umes  is  unbroken  down  to  the  present  time,  the 
volume  for  1883  having  just  been  issued.  By 
act  of  Congress,  "  The  meridian  of  the  observa 
tory  at  Washington  shall  be  adopted  and  used 
as  the  American  meridian  for  astronomical  pur 
poses,  and  the  meridian  of  Greenwich  shall  be 
adopted  for  all  nautical  purposes."  This  law 
was  the  occasion  of  the  subdivision  of  "The 
American  Ephemeris  and  Nautical  Almanac" 
into  two  distinct  parts,  and  the  publication  of 
,two  separate  volumes.  Part  the  first  is  sub 
stantially  identical  with  that  portion  of  the 
"British  Nautical  Almanac"  intended  for  the 
special  use  of  navigators,  and  is  likewise  com 
puted  for  the  meridian  of  Greenwich.  This  part 
contains  all  the  data  necessary  in  the  navigation . 
of  ships,  and  is  published  three  years  in  advance 
of  the  year  for  which  it  is  computed.  "  The  Amer 
ican  Nautical  Almanac"  likewise  contains  ac 
counts  of  the  transits  of  Mercury  and  Venus,  and 
of  eclipses  of  the  sun  and  moon,  with  engraved 
diagrams  of  the  solar  eclipses.  Each  volume 
contains  also  an  article  on  the  arrangement  and 
use  of  the  various  ephemerides,  and  a  selection 
of  subsidiarv  tables,  of  frequent  use  to  the  navi 
gator.—  D.  P.  Tod. 

Almath.  The  star  in  Aries  whence  the  first 
mansion  of  the  moon  takes  its  name. 

Almeria.  A  city  and  port  of  Spain,  in  An 
dalusia,  on  the  Mediterranean,  104  miles  E.  of 
Malaga.  In  the  bay  there  is  a  good  anchorage, 
in  12  and  14  fathoms.  Pop.  30,000. 

Almirante.     (Sp.)     Admiral. 

Almury.     The  upright  part  of  an  astrolabe. 

Almy,  John  J.,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N.  Born 
in  Rhode  Island  in  the  year  1815.  Appointed 
from  that  state  as  midshipman,  February  2, 1829 ; 
attached  to  the  "  Concord,"  Mediterranean,  1830- 
32;  "Ontario,"  coast  of  Brazil,  1833-34;  pro 
moted  to  passed  midshipman  July  3,  1835;  re 
ceiving-ship  at  New  York,  1836-37;  "  Cyane," 
Mediterranean,  1838-41. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant,  March  8,  1841  ; 
brig  "Bainbridge,"  West  Indies,  1842;  frigate 
"/Macedonian,"  coast  of  Africa,  1843-45;  line- 
of-battle  ship  "Ohio,"  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  Pa 
cific  Ocean  during  the  Mexican  war  and  after  the 
war,  1846-50;  participated  in  the  siege  and  cap 
ture  of  Vera  Cruz  and  the  capture  of  Tuspan ; 
latter  part  of  the  war — 1848 — on  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  commanded  one  of  the  forts  at  Ma- 
zatlan  during  the  naval  occupation  of  that  place; 
coast  survey  in  1851-56,  on  the  survey  of  Chesa 
peake  Bay  and  the  sea-coast  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  ;  commanding  "  Fulton,"  on  the 
coast  of  Central  America,  in  1857,  when  General 
Walker  and  his  filibustering  party  surrendered 
to  Rear-Admiral  Paulding,  on  board  of  that  ves 
sel,  at  Nicaragua.  Commanded  the  "  Fulton" 
in  the  expedition  to  Paraguay  in  1858-59  ;  at 
navy^yard,  New  York,  1860-61. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  April  24,  1861  ; 
commanded  "  South  Carolina,"  South  Atlantic 
Squadron,  1862-63 ;  "Connecticut,"  North  At- 


ALNUS 


30 


ALTITUDE 


lantic  Squadron,  1864 ;  "  Juniata,"  South  Atlan 
tic  Squadron,  1865. 

While  in  command  of  the  "Connecticut," 
captured  and  sent  in  four  noted  blockade-running 
steamers  with  valuable  cargoes  ;  ran  ashore  and 
destroyed  four  others. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  March  3, 1865  ;  com 
manded  "  Juniata"  in  a  cruise  to  the  South  At 
lantic  (coast  of  Brazil  and  south  coast  of  Africa), 
1865-67.  While  on  the  coast  of  Brazil  rescued 
the  Brazilian  brig  "  Americo"  and  crew  from 
shipwreck,  attended  with  great  danger,  for  which 
service  received  the  thanks  of  His  Imperial  Ma 
jesty  the  Emperor  of  Brazil.  Ordnance  duty  at 
the  navy-yard,  New  York,  1868-69. 

Commissioned  as  commodore,  December  30, 
1869 ;  chief  signal-officer  of  the  navy  at  Wash 
ington,  1870-72. 

Commissioned  as  rear-admiral,  August  24, 
1873,  and  the  following  month  took  command 
of  the  United  States  naval  forces  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  While  at  Panama,  in  October,  1873,  a 
serious  and  violent  revolution  broke  out,  charac 
teristic  of  that  country,  which  continued  for 
three  weeks.  The  city  of  Panama  and  the 
Panama  Railroad  were  in  imminent  danger  of 
being  destroyed.  A  force  of  seamen  and  marines 
numbering  200,  under  competent  officers,  was 
landed  from  the  ships  and  kept  on  shore  until  the 
revolution  terminated,  affording  efficient  pro 
tection  to  the  railroad,  to  American  and  to 
European  interests.  Two  United  States  ves 
sels,  the  flag-ship  "  Pensacola"  and  the  "  Be- 
nicia,"  were  the  only  men-of-war  in  port.  Pas 
sengers,  freight,  and  specie  continually  passed 
over  the  road  in  safety  and  without  interruption. 

For  these  services  Rear- Admiral  Almy  received 
the  thanks  of  the  Panama  Railroad  Company, 
the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company,  and  of  all 
the  consuls  and  the  foreign  merchants  at  Pa 
nama. 

Was  in  command  of  the  United  States  naval 
forces  in  the  Pacific  for  two  years  and  ten  months. 

Has  performed  altogether  twenty-seven  years 
and  ten  months'  sea  service  ;  shore,  or  other  duty, 
fourteen  years  and  eight  months. 

In  April,  1877,  was  retired,  having  reached 
the  age  prescribed  by  law  for  retirement. 

Alnus  Caver.  Early  English  transports,  so 
called  from  the  wood  of  which  they  were  made. 

Aloft.  Overhead  ;  on  high  ;  anywhere  about 
the  upper  masts,  yards,  or  rigging.  See  ALOW. 

LAY  ALOFT  !  "The  command  to  the  men  to 
run  up  to  their  stations. 

ALOFT  THERE  !  The  hail  to  men  on  the  yards 
and  in  the  rigging. 

ALOFT  is  used  in  a  figurative  sense  for  heaven. 

Alonde.     An  old  word  for  ashore ;  on  land. 

Along.     Lengthwise. 

ALONG  OF.     With. 

LYING  ALONG.  Heeling  over  to  leeward  under 
a  press  of  sail  with  a  beam  wind. 

LYING  ALONG  THE  LAND.    Skirting  the  shore. 

Alongshore.  A  nautical  phrase  signifying 
along  the  coast,  or  a  course  which  is  in  sight  of 
the  shore.  See  'LONGSHORE. 

Alongst.  In  the  middle  of  the  stream,  moored 
head  and  stern. 

Aloof.     At  a  distance. 

Alow.  Below.  All  sail  alow  and  aloft  is  all 
plain  sail  and  stun'-sails. 

Alphabet  Telegraph.     An  apparatus  which 


marks  symbols  on  paper,  in  contradistinction  to 
those  whose  signals  are  made  by  a  needle,  mirror, 
or  sound. 

Alphard.     The  star  a  Hydros. 

Alpheratz.     a  Andromedce. 

Altair.     a  Aquilce. 

Altar.     A  step  of  a  dry-dock. 

Alternate.     To  happen  or  act  by  turns. 

ALTERNATING  WINDS.  Blow  for  a  time  in 
one  direction,  and  suddenly,  from  an  alteration 
of  the  temperature,  change  and  blow  in  the  op 
posite  directions.  See  MONSOON  and  BREEZE. 

Altiscope.  An  instrument  which  enables  an 
observer  to  look  over  an  intervening  object. 
This  instrument  has  been  applied,  not  very  suc 
cessfully,  to  pointing  guns,  the  observer  being  on 
the  deck  below. 

Altitude.  Height.  Angular  distance  of  a 
heavenly  body  above  the  horizon  measured  on  a 
great  circle. 

ALTITUDE,  CIRCLES  OF.  Great  circles  of  the 
celestial  concave  perpendicular  to  the  horizon, 
and  so  called  because  "altitudes"  are  measured  on 
them.  They  all  pass  through  the  poles  of  the 
horizon,  of  which  the  superior  is  the  "vertex" 
of  the  visible  heavens,  and  hence  they  are  also 
called  "  Vertical  Circles,"  or  simply  "  Verticals." 
In  a  polar  system  of  horizon  co-ordinates  they 
are  termed  "  Circles  of  Azimuth"  as  marking  out 
all  points  that  have  the  same  "azimuth." 

ALTITUDE,  CIRCLES  OF  EQUAL.  Circles  on  the 
earth's  surface,  from  every  point  of  each  of  which 
a  given  heavenly  body  is  observed  to  have  the 
same  altitude  at  any  given  time.  The  circle  of 
equal  altitude  is  a  great  circle  of  the  sphere  when 
the  body  is  in  the  horizon,  or  its  altitude  0 ;  the 
circle  is  reduced  to  a  point  when  the  body  is  in 
the  zenith,  or  its  altitude  90°  ;  and  between  these 
two  limits  the  parallels  are  small  circles  whose 
radii  correspond  to  the  complements  of  the  alti 
tude.  A  small  arc  of  a  circle  of  equal  altitude, 
when  projected  on  a  Mercator's  chart,  will  be 
approximately  a  straight  line,  especially  if  the  al 
titude  of  the  body  be  low.  Such  a  line  is  called 
"A  Line  of  Equal  Altitude."  The  determina 
tion  of  one  or  two  such  lines  intersecting  each 
other  forms  the  basis  of  what  is  called  "  Sum- 
ner's  Method"  of  finding  a  ship's  position  at  sea. 

ALTITUDE,  CORRECTION  IN.  The  total  correc 
tion  to  be  applied  to  the  apparent  altitude  to  de 
duce  the  true  altitude.  In  the  case  of  the  stars, 
it  is  due  solely  to  refraction,  but  for  appreciably 
near  bodies  to  the  combined  effects  of  refraction 
and  parallax. 

ALTITUDE,  A  DOUBLE.  Two  altitudes  taken 
for  the  solution  of  the  same  problem.  The  ordi 
nary  problems  for  which  the  method  furnishes  the 
data  are  finding  the  latitude,  and  rating  a  chro 
nometer.  These  altitudes  may  1  e  of  the  same 
body,  taken  at  different  times,  either  both  on  the 
same  side  or  on  opposite  sides  of  the  meridian ; 
or  of  different  bodies  similarly  situated  jobserved 
at  the  same  time ;  or,  lastly,  of  different  bodies 
similarly  situated  observed  at  different  times. 

ALTITUDE,  MERIDIAN.  The  altitude  of  a  ce 
lestial  body  when  on  the  meridian.  In  the  case 
of  a  circumpolar  star,  whose  whole  diurnal  circle 
is  completed  above  the  horizon,  the  body  comes  to 
the  meridian  twice,  when  its  altitudes  are  spoken 
of  respectively  as  "the  Meridian  Altitude  below 
the  Pole,"  and  "  the  Meridian  Altitude  above  the 
Pole"  ;  the  former  is  the  lowest  altitude  the  body 


ALTITUDE 


31 


AMMEN 


has  in  its  revolution,  the  latter  the  highest. 
The  meridian  altitude  is  easily  observed  at  sea 
with  a  sextant,  and  furnishes  the  simplest  and 
most  satisfactory  method  of  determining  the 
latitude,  the  declination  of  the  body  only  being 
required  in  addition. 

ALTITUDE,  MOTION  IN.  An  instrument  is  said 
to  move  "  in  altitude"  when  it  is  turned  on  a 
horizontal  axis  ;  in  contradistinction,  it  is  said  to 
move  "in  azimuth"  when  it  is  turned  on  a  ver 
tical  axis.  An  azimuth  and  altitude  instrument 
admits  of  both  motions. 

ALTITUDE,  OBSERVED,  APPARENT,  AND 
TRUE.  The  altitudes  of  heavenly  bodies  are  ob 
served  from  the  deck  of  a  ship  at  sea  with  the  sex 
tant.  Such  an  altitude  is  called  the  "  Observed 
Altitude."  There  are  certain  instrumental  and 
circumstantial  sources  of  error  by  which  this  is 
affected :  the  sextant  (supposed  otherwise  to  be 
in  adjustment)  may  have  an  index  error;  the 
eye  of  the  observer  being  elevated  above  the  sur 
face  of  the  sea,  the  horizon  will  appear  to  be  de 
pressed,  and  the  consequent  altitude  in  reality 
too  great ;  and  one  of  the  limbs  of  the  body  may 
be  observed  instead  of  its  centre.  When  the 
corrections  for  these  errors  and  method  of  ob 
serving  are  applied — the  "index  correction," 
"correction  for  dip,"  and  "semi-diameter" — 
the  observed  is  reduced  to  the  "  Apparent  Alti 
tude."  But  again,  for  the  sake  of  comparison 
and  computation,  all  observations  must  be  trans 
formed  into  what  they  would  have  been  had  the 
bodies  been  viewed  through  a  uniform  medium, 
and  from  one  common  centre, — the  centre  of  the 
earth.  The  altitude  supposed  to  be  so  taken  is 
called  the  "  True  Altitude"  ;  it  may  be  deduced 
from  the  apparent  altitude  by  applying  the  cor 
rections  called  "correction  for  refraction"  and 
"correction  for  parallax."  "  Correction  for  re 
fraction"  :  when  a  body  is  viewed  through  the 
atmosphere,  refraction  will  cause  the  apparent 
to  be  greater  than  the  true  altitude ;  hence  the 
correction  for  refraction  is  subtractive  in  finding 
the  true  from  the  apparent  altitude.  "  Correc 
tion  for  parallax"  :  the  position  of  the  observer 
on  the  surface,  especially  for  near  bodies,  will 
cause  the  apparent  to  be  less  than  the  true  alti 
tude  ;  hence  the  correction  for  parallax  is  addi 
tive  in  finding  the  true  from  the  apparent  al 
titude. 

ALTITUDE,  PARALLELS  OF.  Lesser  circles  of 
the  celestial  sphere  parallel  to  the  horizon.  They 
mark  all  the  points  of  the  heavens  which  have 
the  same  altitude.  The  Arabic  term  for  this 
system  was  "Almacantars.'" 

ALTITUDE,  REDUCTION  OF,  TO  ANOTHER 
PLACE  OF  OBSERVATION.  See  RUN. 

ALTITUDES,  CIRCUMMERIDIAN.  When  the 
body  is  near  the  meridian,  and  altitudes  are  ob 
served  with  a  view  of  solving  problems  by  first 
finding  from  these  the  meridian  altitude,  such 
altitudes  are  conveniently  distinguished  as  Cir- 
cummeridian  Altitudes. 

ALTITUDES,  EQUAL.  Double  altitudes  of  the 
sun,  when  at  the  same  altitude  in  the  forenoon 
and  afternoon. 

ALTITUDES,  EQUATION  OF  EQUAL.  In  equal 
altitudes  of  the  sun,  its  declination  changes 
slightly  in  the  interval  between  the  forenoon  and 
afternoon  observation,  and  therefore  the  hour- 
angles  corresponding  to  the  two  altitudes  are  not 
exactly  equal.  Hence  half  the  interval  added 


to  the  time  of  the  first  observation  requires  a  cor 
rection  in  order  to  give  the  time  shown  by  chro 
nometer  when  the  sun  is  on  the  meridian.  This 
correction  is  called  "  The  Equation  of  Equal 
Altitudes."  It  is  given  in  tables. 

ALTITUDES,  SIMULTANEOUS.  Double  alti 
tudes  of  different  bodies  taken  at  the  same  time. 

Altometer.     The  theodolite. 

Altona.  A  city  and  free  port  of  Prussia,  in 
Holstein,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Elbe,  a  little 
below  Hamburg.  It  is  accessible  to  sea-going 
vessels,  and  has  a  large  trade.  Pop.  90,000. 

Aluffe,  or  Aloof.     A  very  old  form  for  luff. 

Alveus.  An  ancient  boat  made  of  a  single 
trunk ;  a  dug-out. 

Amadas  (or  Amidas),  Philip,  b.  Hull,  1550; 
d.  England,  1618.  A  commander  of  one  of  the 
vessels  sent  out  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  with 
Barlow,  to  take  possession  of  lands  on  the  east 
ern  shore  of  America.  He  discovered  Ocracoke 
Inlet,  and  landed  on  Wocoken  Island,  in  Flor 
ida,  subsequently  exploring  Pamlico  and  Albe- 
marle  Sounds  arid  Roanoke  Island.  The  title  of 
admiral  was  conferred  upon  him,  and  he  was 
united  with  Lane  in  the  settlement  of  North 
Carolina,  afterwards  called  Virginia. 

Amain.  With  force  or  vigor  ;  all  at  once ;  as, 
lower  amain.  An  old  word  for  yield.  The  low 
ering  of  the  topsail  was  called  striking  amain, 
and  it  was  demanded  by  the  wave  amain,  or  the 
brandishing  of  a  sword. 

Amain.  A  city  and  seaport  of  Italy,  in  the 
Gulf  of  Salerno,  and  23  miles  S.E.  of  Naples. 
Lat.  40°  38'  N. ;  Ion.  14°  37'  10"  E.  A  naval 
school  is  located  at  Amalfi.  Pop.  6500. 

Amalgam.  A  compound  of  mercury  with 
another  metal.  See  ALLOY. 

Amalphitan  Code.  The  oldest  code  of  modern 
sea  laws,  compiled  during  the  first  Crusade  by 
the  people  of  Amalfi,  in  Italy. 

Amaye.     Sea-marks  on  the  French  coast. 

Ambassador.  A  diplomatic  officer  of  the 
highest  rank.  A  practical  joke,  in  which  the 
victim  is  unmercifully  ducked. 

Amber.  A  hard,  resinous,  vegetable  sub 
stance,  generally  of  a  bright  yellow  color,  and 
translucent. 

Ambergris.  A  fragrant  substance,  the  origin 
of  which  was  long  a  matter  of  dispute.  It  is 
now  known  to  be  a  morbid  product  developed  in 
the  intestines  of  the  sperm  whale.  It  is  of  a 
grayish  color,  very  light,  and  fusible,  and  is  used 
as  a  perfume  and  as  a  cordial. 

Amelioration.  An  allowance  made  to  the 
neutral  purchaser,  on  reclaiming  a  ship  improp 
erly  condemned,  for  the  repairs  she  has  under 
gone  at  his  expense. 

America.     See  CONTINENTS. 

Americus  Vespucci.     See  VESPUCCI. 

Amidships.  The  middle  part  of  a  ship, 
whether  in  regard  to  her  length  or  breadth,  but 
more  generally  applied  to  the  axis  or  fore-and- 
aft  line. 

Ammen,  Daniel,  Rear-AdmiralU.S.N.  Born 
in  Ohio,  May  15,  1820.  Appointed  midshipman, 
July  7,  1836;  attached  to  the  Exploring  Expedi 
tion,  1837-38  ;  sloop  "  Levant"  and  "  Vandalia," 
in  the  West  Indies,  1838-39;  sloop  "Preble," 
on  the  coast  of  Labrador  and  in  the  Mediterra 
nean,  1840-41 ;  returned  to  the  United  States  on 
board  ship-of-the-line  "Ohio,"  1841,  and  to 
Naval  School ;  passed  examination,  June,  1842, 


AMMUNITION 


32 


AMPLITUDE 


and  received  warrant  of  passed  midshipman ; 
store-ship  "  Lexington,"  as  navigator,  1843-44, 
to  the  Mediterranean;  sloop  "Vincennes,"  as 
navigator,  East  India  Squadron,  1845-47 ;  coast 
survey, 1848-49. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant,  November  4, 
1849;  frigate  "St.  Lawrence,"  Mediterranean 
Squadron,  1850;  coast  survey,  1851  ;  attached 
to  a  commission  for  selecting  a  naval  station  in 
the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  1852;  scientific 
expedition  of  steamer  "Water  Witch,"  Para- 

§uay  Kiver,  1853-54 ;  brig  "  Bainbridge,"  Brazil 
quadron,  1854-55;  Naval  Observatory,  Wash 
ington,  1856-57;  steam-sloop  "Saranac,"  Pa 
cific  Squadron,  1858;  steam-frigate  "  Merrimac," 
Pacific  Squadron,  1859-60;  steam-frigate  "  Ro- 
anoke,"  as  executive-officer,  North  Atlantic 
Blockading  Squadron,  1861 ;  commanding  "  Sen 
eca,"  South  Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron, 
1861-62,  at  battle  of  Port  Royal,  November  7, 
1861 ;  the  day  following  hoisted  our  flag  over 
Fort  Beauregard,  and  made  formal  delivery  to 
the  army,  by  order  of  Rear-Admiral  Du  Pont ; 
Tybee  Island,  December,  1861 ;  commanded 
forces  entering  by  way  of  Whale  Branch  in 
attack  on  Port  Royal  Ferry,  January  1,  1862; 
engaged  in  the  operations  against  Fernandina 
through  St.  Andrew's  Sound  and  in  St.  John's 
River. 

Promoted  to  commander,  February  21,  1863; 
commanding  monitor  "Patapsco,"  South  At 
lantic  Blockading  Squadron,  against  Fort  McAl 
lister,  March,  1863,  and  in  the  attack  on  Fort 
Sumter,  April  7,  1863  ;  had  charge  of  a  draft  of 
220  seamen  on  board  of  the  California  passenger 
steamer  "  Ocean  Queen,  "May,  1864,  bound  to  As- 
pi  n  wall  ;  two  days  after  leaving  New  York  sup 
pressed  an  open  and  organized  mutiny,  with  the 
assistance  of  Boatswain  Thomas  G.  Bell,  who 
was  the  only  aid  assigned,  receiving  in  doing  so 
the  excellent  co-operation  of  Captain  Tinkle- 
paugh, — who  commanded  the  "Ocean  Queen," — 
his  officers,  and  several  of  the  passengers  ;  com 
manding  steam-sloop  "Mohican,"  North  At 
lantic  Blockading  Squadron,  1864-65;  in  the 
bombardment  of  Fort  Fisher,  December,  1864, 
and  again  when  it  was  carried  by  assault  by  the 
army,  January,  1865 ;  commanding  ironclad 
"Miantonomah,"  special  service,  1866. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  July  25,  1866 ;  spe 
cial  duty,  Hartford,  Conn.,  1866-67;  command 
ing  flag-ship  "  Piscataqua,"  Asiatic  Squadron, 
1867-68;  Chief  of  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks, 
1869-71. 

Commissioned  as  commodore,  1872.  Chief  of 
Bureau  of  Navigation,  1871-78.  Commissioned 
as  rear-admiral.  1877  ;  retired  at  his  own  re 
quest,  1878.  July,  1878,  appointed  chairman  of 
a  board  for  the  re-location  of  the  Naval  Obser 
vatory.  April,  1879,  ordered  to  attend  the  con 
vocation  at  Paris,  France,  known  as  the  Inter- 
oceanic  Ship-Canal  Congress.  Had  constructed 
on  his  design  a  cask  "  balsa,"  or  life-boat,  which 
is  now  at  the  navy-yard,  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  at 
which  place  are  built  life-boats  on  this  design  for 
all  of  our  vessels  of  war.  Total  sea-service  21 
years  and  1  month ;  other  duty,  17  years  and  3 
months. 

Ammunition.  In  early  times  this  word  sig 
nified  every  description  of  warlike  stores  and 
provisions  for  attack  or  defense. 

In  modern  usage  its  signification  is  limited  to 


articles  in  use  for  charging  fire-arms  and  ord 
nance  of  all  kinds. 

FIXED  AMMUNITION.  For  guns  of  small 
calibre  the  charge  and  projectile  are  united  for 
convenient  transportation  and  rapidity  in  load 
ing. 

AMMUNITION  BOXES.  The  boxes  carried  on 
the  carriage  of  howitzers. 

AMMUNITION  CHESTS.  Chests  stowed  in  the 
tops  for  the  convenience  of  the  riflemen  stationed 
there  in  action. 

AMMUNITION-WIFE.  A  woman  of  doubtful 
character. 

Amnesty.  An  act  of  oblivion  or  general  par 
don  for  all  acts  committed  in  time  of  war,  or  the 
proclamation  of  such  pardon. 

Amok.  Slaughter.  The  practice,  of  Malays 
under  the  influence  of  bang,  of  running  about 
the  streets,  attacking  anybody  and  everybody. 

To  RUN  A-MUCK.  To  make  an  indiscriminate 
assault. 

Amorce.     (Fr.}     Priming  powder. 

Amoy.  A  seaport  town  of  China,  on  an  island 
of  the  same  name.  Lat.  24°  10'  3"  N. ;  Ion. 
118°  IS'  5"  E. ;  nearly  opposite  to  the  centre  of 
the  island  of  Formosa.  The  population,  mostly 
employed  in  the  coasting  trade,  is  about  300,000. 

Amperes.  An  ancient  vessel  in  which  the 
rowers  pulled  two  oars  each. 

Amphibia.  A  class  of  animals  which  can  live 
either  in  the  water  or  on  the  land. 

Amphiprorae.  Ancient  vessels,  both  ends  of 
which  were  prow-shaped,  so  that  in  narrow  chan 
nels  they  need  not  turn ;  the  prototypes  of  the 
double-enders. 

Amphiscii.  The  inhabitants  of  the  torrid 
zone  are  thus  denominated  from  their  shadow 
being  turned  one  part  of  the  year  to  the  north 
and  the  other  to  the  south. 

Amplitude.  The  angular  distance  of  a  heav 
enly  body  in  the  horizon  from  the  east  or  west 
point.  The  magnetic  amplitude  is  the  angular 
distance  of  the  body  from  the  east  or  west  point 
as  indicated  by  the  compass.  The  difference  be 
tween  the  true  and  the  magnetic  amplitude  is  the 
variation  of  the  compass. 

At  a  given  latitude  the  amplitude  depends  on 
the  declination  of  the  object.  Amplitude  is 
sometimes  used  to  denote  the  horizontal  distance 
to  which  a  projectile  is  expelled  from  a  gun,  or 
what  is  more  frequently  called  the  range. 

AMPLITUDE,  OBSERVATION  OF.  The  usual 
instructions  for  taking  amplitudes  are  laid  down 
with  the  view  that  the  body  shall  be  observed  at 
the  moment  when  its  centre  is  really  in  the  ra 
tional  horizon.  Thus  the  bearing  of  the  sun  is 
directed  to  be  taken  when  its  lower  limb  appears 
half-way  between  the  horizon  and  its  centre  ;  the 
bearing  of  a  star  is  to  be  taken  at  an  altitude  of 
34' :  the  amplitude  of  the  moon  cannot  be  thus 
directly  observed  with  accuracy,  especially  in 
high  latitudes,  by  reason  of  her  great  depression 
by  parallax,  but  may  be  found  approximately  by 
observing  her  bearing  when  her  upper  limb  is  in 
the  horizon.  In  all  cases,  however,  the  better 
plan  is  to  obtain  by  observation  the  bearing  when 
the  centre  of  the  body  appears  on  the  horizon, 
and  apply  the  necessary  corrections  (for  dip,  re 
fraction,  and  parallax)  taken  from  a  table.  For 
the  sun,  when  rising,  observe  the  bearing  of  the 
upper  limb  as  it  appears  on  the  horizon,  and 
continue  to  take  the  bearings  of  the  centre,  hi- 


AMPOTIS 


33 


ANCHOR 


seating  the  sun's  disk  by  keeping  the  upright 
wire  on  the  upper  limb  until  the  lower  limb  ap 
pears.  Read  off  each  bearing.  At  sunset,  when 
the  lower  limb  touches  the  horizon,  proceed  in 
like  manner  until  the  upper  limb  disappears. 
The  mean  of  the  readings,  reckoning  from  the 
east  or  west  point,  is  the  observed  amplitude. 
When  practicable,  the  moon  may  be  observed  in 
the  same  way.  In  the  case  of  the  sun  and  stars, 
a  table  (with  latitude  and  declination  for  argu 
ments)  gives  the  necessary  correction  for  refrac 
tion,  to  which  the  requisit^  dip  is  added.  The 
same  table  applied  in  the  contrary  way  gives  the 
correction  for  the  moon,  which  is  the  excess  of 
the  effect  of  parallax  over  the  combined  effects 
of  refraction  and  dip.  The  amplitude  of  a  star 
should  be  observed  at  setting,  to  admit  of  the 
body  being  easily  identified. 

Ampotis.     The  running  out  of  the  sea. 

Amsterdam.  An  important  commercial  city, 
one  of  the  capitals  of  the  Netherlands,  at  the 
former  confluence  of  the  Amstel  with  the  Y,  a 
lake-like  river,  now  mostly  drained,  but  a  small 
part  remains  and  serves  as  a  port  for  the  city.  It 
has  a'  new  artificial  harbor  on  the  North  Sea, 
with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  ship  canal  15 
miles  long.  Pop.  300,000. 

Amulet.  A  charm  worn  by  superstitious  peo 
ple  as  a  preservative  against  disease  or  disaster. 

Amusette.  A  shoulder-gun  fitted  with  a 
swivel,  carrying  a  ball  weighing  from  half  a 
pound  to  two  pounds. 

Anabus.  A  bony  fish  that  has  the  power  of 
living  long  out  of  water  and  moving  considerable 
distances  on  land. 

Anadromous.  A  term  applied  to  migratory 
fishes. 

Analemma.  An  orthographic  projection  of 
the  sphere  on  the  plane  of  the  meridian.  An  in 
strument  of  brass  or  wood  on  which  this  projec 
tion  is  made.  An  old  form  of  sun-dial. 

Anan.  An  old  word  for ' '  What  did  you  say  ? ' ' 
Also  a  corruption  of  anon. 

Anas.  A  genus  of  water-birds  of  the  order 
Natatores,  now  restricted  to  the  typical  ducks. 

Anaumachion.  Among  the  ancients  the  crime 
of  refusing  to  serve  in  the  fleet,  the  punishment 
for  which  was  infamy. 

Anchiromachus.  A  boat  of  the  middle  ages 
for  transporting  anchors  and  naval  stores. 

Anchor.  A  heavy  iron  instrument  for  re 
taining  a  ship  in  her  place.  It  is  attached  to  the 
ship  by  a  rope  or  chain,  and  is  thrown  overboard 
from  the  bows. 

The  earlier  anchors  were  made  of  wood  with 
an  arm,  and  later  two  arms.  Stones  were  at 
tached  to  give  weight  to  sink  and  greater  holding 
power.  With  all  the  improvements  of  modern 
times,  the  anchors  now  in  use  have  undergone 
but  little  change  of  form. 

After  the  wooden  anchor  followed  the  iron 
anchor  with  a  wooden  stock.  At  the  present  day 
all  navy  anchors  are  fitted  with  iron  stocks. 

Anchors  are  solid  when  the  shank  and  arms 
are  welded  together.  In  most  patent  anchors  the 
arms  are  movable  and  capable  of  being  separated 
from  the  shank. 

The  solid  or  common  anchor  consists  of  the 
shank,  the  ring  (shackle,  or  Jew's-harp),  the 
arms,  and  the  stock. 

The  shank  is  the  main  body  of  the  anchor. 
The  ring  is  bolted  to  the  upper  end  and  the  arms 
3 


are  welded  to  the  other.  The  crown  is  the  heavy 
end  of  the  shank  to  which  the  arms  are  welded. 
It  is  the  part  which  first  strikes  the  ground  when 
the  anchor  is  let  go  perpendicularly. 

The  stock  is  the  iron  beam  at  right  angles  to 
the  shank.  It  has  a  shoulder  near  its  middle 
part,  and  when  this  shoulder  is  snug  up  against 
the  shank  it  is  keyed  on  the  other  side.  The  end 
opposite  to  the  shoulder  is  bent  for  convenience 
in  stowage. 

On  the  ends  of  the  stock  are  cast-iron  balls,  the 
one  on  the  bent  end  being  movable  and  the  other 
riveted. 

The  arm  consists  of  the  palm  (or  fluke),  the 
bill  (point,  or  pee),  and  the  blade.  The  palm  is 
shaped  much  like  a  shield,  and  is  welded  and 
riveted  to  the  blade.  The  bill  is  the  part  of  the 
arm  which  projects  beyond  the  palm.  The  ring 
is  that  part  of  the  anchor  to  which  the  cable  is 
bent. 

The  essential  properties  of  an  anchor  are 
strength,  holding,  quick-holding,  canting ,  facility 
of  sweeping,  of  stowing,  and  of  transport  in  boats, 
exemption  from  fouling,  and  quick-tripping.  Of 
these  the  most  important  are  strength,  holding, 
and  quick-holding. 

These  qualities  depend  upon  the  weight  of 
metal,  size  and  shape  of  the  cross-section  of 
arms  and  shank,  length  of  arms,  shank,  and 
stock,  angle  at  which  the  arms  are  set  on,  size 
and  shape  of  palm,  finish  of  the  bill,  curvature 
of  the  arm,  quality  of  the  material,  and  the 
workmanship. 

The  development  of  one  of  these  qualities  to 
an  extreme  degree  may  involve  the  sacrifice  of 
another.  For  instance,  the  Trotman  anchor  is 
notably  exempt  from  fouling,  as  the  upper  fluke 
lies  down  against  the  shank,  but  this  peculiarity 
renders  it  almost  impossible  to  pick  it  up  by 
sweeping  for  it.  An  anchor  that  holds  well  does 
not  trip  quickly.  The  holding  power  of  an  an 
chor  depends  a  great  deal  on  the  length  of  the 
arm  ;  but  a  long  arm  is  an  element  of  weakness. 
So  there  is  much  to  be  considered  in  the  form 
and  dimensions  of  anchors,  and  it  has  required 
a  great  many  experiments  to  determine  them. 
The  American  Anchor,  designed  by  Mr.  James 
Brown,  master-smith  at  the  Washington  Navy- 
Yard,  fulfills  all  required  conditions. 

Anchors  for  the  navy  are  forged  under  the 
steam-hammer  from  scrap-iron,  and  are  gotten 
out  in  five  parts,  viz.:  the  shank,  two  arms, 
stock,  and  shackle  (or  ring). 

The  scrap-iron  is  first  hammered  into  blooms, 
the  most  convenient  size  being  36  inches  long, 
10  inches  wide,  and  4  inches  thick.  The  blooms 
being  in  readiness,  the  parts  of  the  anchor  are 
forged  and  put  together  in  the  following  order  : 

The  shank.  The  blooms  are  piled  on  the  end 
of  a  porter  bar,  heated  and  welded  under  a  steam- 
hammer  until  the  mass  of  iron  on  the  end  of  the 
bar  is  of  sufficient  size  to  make  the  shank.  The 
building-up  process  begins  at  the  crown,  and  the 
mass  is  gradually  drawn  out  towards  the  ring 
end,  and  swaged  smooth  under  the  hammer.  The 
holes  are  punched  for  the  ring  and  stock,  and  the 
shank  is  then  cut  off  from  the  bar. 

The  two  arms  are  forged  separately,  also  the 
two  palms.  The  palms  are  welded  on  to  the 
arms  and  riveted,  and  the  bill  is  drawn  out  and 
finished  up.  The  shank  is  then  heated  at  the 
crown  end,  scarfed  on  one  side,  and  the  arm  welded 


ANCHOR 


34 


ANCHOR 


on  ;  then  scarfed  on  the  other  side  and  the  second 
arm  welded  on.  The  arms  are  welded  on  straight, 
and  afterwards  heated  and  bent  to  the  proper 
angle. 

The  stock  is  forged  from  blooms  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  shank.  The  ring  is  forged  straight, 
and  afterwards  heated  and  bent  to  the  proper 
shape  and  a  bolt  fitted  to  the  eyes. 

The  process  of  annealing  anchors  has  now 
generally  gone  out  of  use. 

The  following  are  the  proportions  of  a  6000- 
pound  anchor : 

Shank. — Length,  13  feet  8  inches ;  cross-section 
at  the  largest  part  where  the  arms  are  welded  on, 
10J-  by  8£  inches  ;  cross-section  at  the  stock,  8£  by 
7  inches,  the  greatest  dimension  being  in  the 
plane  of  the  arms. 

Stock. — The  length  is  equal  to  the  length  of 
the  shank  over  all,  and  in  diameter  it  is  about 
two-thirds  the  smallest  width  of  the  shank  meas 
ured  in  the  plane  of  the  arms. 

The  length  of  the  arm  is  nearly  one-third  the 
length  of  the  shank,  and  in  bending  them  an 
equilateral  triangle  is  formed  with  the  length  of 
the  arm  for  one  side,  the  same  distance  laid  off 
on  the  shank  from  the  crotch  for  the  second  side, 
and  the  distance  from  the  end  of  this  line  to  the 
bill  completes  the  triangle. 

In  forging  anchors  a  great  deal  is  done  by  eye 
for  shape  and  proportions.  The  crown  and  throat 
are  rounded  off,  and  the  shank  has  eight  faces, 
with  a  straight  taper  from  the  crotch  to  the 
stock.  The  weight  of  an  anchor  is  inclusive  of 
the  ring  and  exclusive  of  the  stock,  which  is 
about  one-fourth  the  weight  of  the  anchor. — 
C.  T.  Hutchins,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 

PATENT  ANCHORS.  Many  designs  have  been 
submitted,  the  most  prominent  of  which  are 
mentioned  below.  The  oxidation  of  the  movable 
parts  of  portable  anchors  is  the  great  source  of 
failure,  as  they  require  constant  care  and  atten 
tion  to  keep  them  in  working  order. 

Isaac's  Anchor  has  a  bar  of  iron  from  each 
end  of  the  stock  to  the  middle  of  the  shank,  and 
the  palms  are  connected  by  a  flat  elliptical  bar  of 
iron.  It  has  great  strength,  and  is  notably  ex 
empt  from  fouling,  but  is  deficient  in  other  re 
spects. 

Latham's  Anchor  has  an  arm  provided  with 
three  flukes,  and  the  shank  is  made  of  two  pieces, 
which  separate  at  the  crown  end  to  allow  the 
midship  fluke  to  pass.  When  the  three  flukes 
enter  the  ground,  the  flange  on  the  crown-piece 
takes  on  the  shank  and  the  arms  are  held  rigid. 
No  stock  is  required. 

Marshall's  Anchor.  The  arms  are  straight 
and  move  independently  on  a  pivot,  which  passes 
through  the  crown.  The  arms  are  fitted  with 
projections,  which  assist  the  flukes  to  enter  the 
ground. 

Martin's  Anchor  is  supplied  to  the  turret-ships 
of  the  British  navy.  The  anchor  is  very  com 
pact,  and  for  that  reason  is  especially  recom 
mended  to  rams  and  turret-ships,  as  it  does  not 
impede  the  fire  nor  project  from  the  bows. 

Morgan's  Anchor  has  a  curved  bar  of  iron, 
which  passes  through  a  slot  in  the  shank  and 
connects  the  two  arms  to  each  other.  The  arms 
are  separately  pivoted  to  the  shank.  When  one 
fluke  enters  the  ground  the  other  is  drawn  down 
against  the  shank,  the  connecting  bar  serving  to 
strengthen  the  arms. 


Porter's  Anchor  is  the  same  in  principle  as 
Trotman's,  which  see. 

Rodger's  Anchor  has  a  shank  with  a  wooden 
core,  the  object  being  to  give  greater  strength 
with  a  given  weight  of  metal.  He  also  designed 
the  pick-ax  anchor,  an  anchor  without  palms. 

Trotman's  Anchor.  The  oscillatory  system  is 
the  principal  feature  of  this  anchor.  The  arms 
are  in  one  piece  and  work  in  a  slot  in  the  shank. 
When  one  fluke  enters  the  ground  the  other  is 
drawn  down  against  the  shank.  The  backs  of  the 
arms  are  fitted  with  horns  to  assist  the  flukes  to 
enter  the  ground.  It  is  one  of  the  best  of  the 


patent  anchors. 

The    BOWER-ANCHORS    are  so  named 


from 


their  being  carried  on  the  bows.  In  early  days 
they  were  of  different  sizes ;  the  larger  one, 
called  the  best  bower,  was  carried  on  the  star 
board  bow,  the  other  was  known  as  the  small 
bower.  These  designations  are  yet  retained, 
though  the  anchors  are  now  of  equal  size. 

The  WAIST-  or  SHEET-ANCHORS  are  equal  in 
weight  to  the  bower-anchors,  and  are  carried  on 
the  side,  abaft  the  fore-rigging.  They  are  se 
cured  with  the  stock  perpendicular,  and  the  shank 
resting  on  two  shores. 

The  SPARE-ANCHOR,  when  no  sheets  are  car 
ried,  is  of  the  same  size  as  a  bower-anchor,  and 
is  stowed  inboard. 

The  STREAM- ANCHOR  is  one-fourth  the  weight 
of  the  bower-anchor,  and  is  carried  inboard. 

KEDGES  are  small  anchors,  from  one-sixth  to 
one-fourteenth  the  weight  of  the  bower.  They 
are  stowed  in  the  chains. 

BOAT-ANCHORS  are  small  anchors  supplied  for 
the  use  of  the  boats.  They  are  stowed  in  the 
hold  of  the  ship  until  needed  for  service. 

With  reference  to  their  position  anchors  are 
termed  flood,  ebb,  weather,  lee,  sea,  or  shore 
a,nchors. 

To  SHOE  AN  ANCHOR.  To  fit  triangular 
pieces  of  wood  to  the  palms  to  give  greater  hold 
ing  power. 

To  COCKBILL  THE  ANCHOR.  To  ease  off  the 
shank-painter,  and  hang  the  anchor  by  the  ring- 
stopper. 

To  LET  Go  THE  ANCHOR.  To  release  it  from 
the  cat-head  that  it  may  fall  to  the  bottom  and 
hold  the  ship. 

To  DRAG  THE  ANCHOR.  To  trail  it  over  the 
bottom  by  force  of  the  wind  or  current. 

To  BACK  THE  ANCHOR.  To  increase  the  hold 
ing  power  of  an  anchor  by  planting  a  smaller 
one  ahead  of  it,  and  connecting  the  two  with  a 
chain.  The  holding  power  of  an  anchor  may  be 
increased  by  attaching  a  weight  to  the  bight  of 
the  chain,  thus  bringing  the  strain  lower  down, 
and  causing  the  fluke  to  bite  harder. 

To  TRIP  THE  ANCHOR.  To  heave  it  clear  of 
the  bottom. 

To  SIGHT  THE  ANCHOR.  To  heave  it  up  to 
the  surface  of  the  water. 

To  WEIGH  AN  ANCHOR.  To  heave  it  up  to 
the  bows. 

To  CAT  THE  ANCHOR.  To  hoist  it  up  to  the 
cat-head  and  pass  the  ring-stopper. 

To  FISH  THE  ANCHOR.  To  hoist  the  flukes 
up  to  the  bill-board  and  pass  the  shank-painter. 

To  STOW  AN  ANCHOR.  To  secure  it  in  its 
proper  place. 

To  TRANSPORT  AN  ANCHOR.  To  shift  it  from 
one  position  to  another  in  the  ship. 


ANCHOK 


35 


ANCHORING 


To  SECURE  THE  ANCHOR  FOR  SEA.  To  ring 
it  up  close  to  the  cat-head,  and  get  the  inner  fluke 
inboard,  and  pass  extra  lashings. 

To  GET  THE  ANCHOR  OFF  THE  Bows.  To 
take  off  the  extra  lashings,  and  heave  the  inner 
fluke  up  and  outboard,  so  it  will  slip  off  the  bill 
board  when  the  shank-painter  is  let  go. 

To  SWEEP,  DRAG,  OR  CREEP  FOR  AN  ANCHOR. 
To  endeavor  to  pick  up  an  anchor  or  the  chain 
by  trailing  for  it  with  a  grapnel  or  the  bight  of 
a  rope. 

FOUL-ANCHOR.  The  ^condition  of  an  anchor 
when  the  chain  has  taken  a  turn  around  the 
flukes,  shank,  or  stock,  or  when  the  anchor  has 
caught  into  some  other  anchor,  chain,  or  wreck. 

The  anchor  is  aweigh  or  atrip  the  moment  it  is 
disengaged  from  the  ground.  It  is  apeak  when 
the  chain  is  up-and-down.  It  comes  home  when 
it  is  trailed  over  the  bottom  as  the  ship  drifts. 

Anchor,  Drag-,  or  Floating-.  See  SEA-AN 
CHOR. 

Anchor,  Jury.  A  temporary  anchor  con 
structed  to  supply  the  place  of  one  which  has 
been  lost.  Ships  are  sometimes  obliged  to  resort 
to  their  guns,  boilers,  and  other  heavy  articles. 

Anchor,  Mushroom.  Has  a  head  shaped  like 
a  bowl,  and  no  stock  is  required.  It  is  used  for 
moorings. 

Anchor,  Screw.  Large  screws  with  broad 
flanges,  used  for  moorings  and  to  shoe  piles. 

Anchor,  Sea.  A  species  of  raft  or  drag  formed 
of  spars  and  canvas  to  keep  a  ship's  head  to  the 
wind  and  to  decrease  her  drift.  It  is  attached  to 
the  ship  by  a  hawser,  and  is  generally  fitted  with 
a  buoy  and  an  anchor. 

Anchorage.  A  duty  levied  upon  vessels  upon 
coming  to  a  port  for  the  use  of  its  advantages. 
The  set  of  anchors  belonging  to  a  ship.  A  place 
suitable  for  anchoring.  It  is  marked  on  charts 
by  an  anchor,  and  is  described  according  to  its 
attributes  as  good,  snug,  open,  or  exposed. 

Anchor-ball.  A  pyrotechnical  combustible 
attached  to  a  grapnel. 

Anchor-bar.  A  large  handspike  to  pry  the 
anchor  off  the  bill-board. 

Anchor-chock.  Pieces  let  into  an  anchor- 
stock.  Pieces  of  wood  or  iron  upon  which  an 
anchor  rests  when  it  is  stowed. 

Anchor-hold.  The  fastness  of  the  flukes  in 
the  ground. 

Anchor-hoops.  Heavy  iron  hoops  binding  a 
wooden  stock  to  the  shank  and  over  the  nuts  of 
the  anchor. 

Anchor-ice.  The  ice  which  forms  on  and  in- 
crustates  the  beds  of  lakes  and  rivers. 

Anchoring,  (p.  pr.  of  v.  t.  TO  ANCHOR.)  (Lat. 
ancora,  anchor.)  The  mano3uvre  by  which  a 
•vessel  is  brought  to  anchor,  i.e.  brought  to  a 
state  of  temporary  rest  and  security  by  means  of 
an  anchor  let  go  from  the  vessel. 

The  anchor,  attaching  itself  to  the  bottom,  is 
enabled  by  means  of  the  intervening  cable  to 
hold  the  vessel  in  7 "ace.  A  vessel  may  be  brought 
to  anchor  under  a  great  variety  of  conditions  of 
wind,  tide,  and  sea. 

The  peculiar  nature  of  th'e  anchorage  itself,  and 
the  number  of  vessels  occupying  it,  must  also  be 
considered.  For  the  minor  details  of  all  that 
precede,  accompany,  and  follow  this  manoeuvre, 
the  reader  is  referred  to  works  on  Seamanship. 
The  principal  points  to  be  observed  are,  First, 
that  on  approaching  the  anchorage  both  bower 


anchors  (see  ANCHOR)  and  their  cables  should  be 
in  readiness  for  use,  always  having  the  second 
anchor  ready  to  let  go  in  case  the  first,  from  any 
cause,  should  fail.  Second,  that  the  vessel  should 
be  head  to  tide,  or  nearly  so,  when  the  anchor  is 
let  go.  Third,  on  approaching  the  anchorage, 
under  favorable  circumstances,  the  speed  of  the 
vessel  should  be  gradually  reduced,  then  stopped, 
and  finally  a  stern-board  be  given  her,  either  by 
the  action  of  the  wind  or  tide,  or  by  the  use  of 
sails  or  engine.  The  moment  of  starting  astern 
is  that  for  letting  go  the  anchor.  Fourth,  that 
the  vessel  should  have  sufficient  stern-board  to* 
lay  her  cable  out  clear  and  straight  from  the  an 
chor.  Fifth,  that  the  stern-board  should  not  be 
so  great  as  to  endanger  running  out  too  much 
cable,  or  of  parting  in  attempting  to  check  it. 
Sixth,  that  when  the  cable  is  finally  secured  there 
should  be  a  good  scope  out.  Seventh,  that  when 
anchored  the  vessel  should  be  in  a  good  berth. 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  a  vessel  should 
never  ride  to  a  shorter  scope  of  cable  than  six 
times  the  depth  of  water.  That  is  to  say,  if  an 
chored  in  ten  fathoms  of  water  she  should  not 
have  out  less  than  sixty  fathoms  of  cable  for  or 
dinary  security.  In  general,  there  are  three  dif 
ferent  classes  of  vessels  +hat  may  be  treated  of 
under  this  head :  the  square-rigged  sailing-ves 
sel,  the  fore-and-after,  and  the  steamer.  To 
bring  one  of  the  former  into  a  crowded  harbor, 
to  pick  out  a  good  berth  and  come  to  anchor  in 
a  proper  manner,  calls  forth  all  the  skill  and 
judgment  of  a  practical  seaman,  and  an  amount 
of  knowledge  which  can  be  obtained  only  by  long 
and  varied  experience. 

With  a  schooner  we  have,  ordinarily,  only  to 
haul  down  the  head-sails,  luif  up  into  the  wind, 
and  when  the  headway  is  lost  and  she  begins  to 
go  astern,  to  drop  the  anchor,  and  then  to  pay 
out  the  necessary  scope  as  she  takes  it.  Or  beat 
ing  in  with  a  strong  windward  tide  (see  TIDES), 
we  should  reverse  the  operation ;  lower  the  fore 
and  mainsails,  wear  around  under  the  jib,  and, 
when  head  to  tide,  let  go  the  anchor. 

With  a  steamer  the  operation  is  still  more 
simple.  Steering  directly  for  her  berth,  the  en 
gines  are  first "  slowed,"  then  stopped,  and  finally 
backed,  if  necessary ;  when  the  headway  ceases 
the  anchor  is  let  go  and  the  cable  paid  out  as  she 
takes  it.  If  she  had  been  steaming  in  against 
the  tide  she  will,  on  stopping  the  engines,  soon 
go  astern  and  take  her  cable.  If  she  has  the 
tide  with  her,  as  soon  as  the  anchor  touches  the 
bottom  she  will  begin  to  swing  to  the  tide. 
When  head-to,  pay  out  to  the  necessary  scope. 

ANCHORING  BY  THE  STERN  is  to  have  the  cable 
brought  in  through  a  stern-chock,  so  that  when 
the  anchor  is  let  go  from  the  bow  the  vessel  will 
ride  by  the  stern. 

ANCHORING  WITH  A  SPRING  :  to  attach  a  hawser 
to  the  ring  of  the  anchor  before  letting  go,  so 
that  when  the  anchor  is  down  and  an  equal  strain 
brought  upon  the  cable  and  the  hawser,  the  ves 
sel  will  ride  to  a  bridle,  presenting  her  broadside 
to  the  wind  or  tide  as  either  may  prevail.  The 
vessel's  head  may  be  then  made  to  change  direc 
tion  by  shortening  in,  or  veering  on  the  cable  or 
hawser,  as  desired. 

The  two  last  manoeuvres  are  practiced  in  war : 

the   former   when    it   is    undesirable    to  swing 

|  around,  as  when  anchoring  in  the  ordinary  way  ; 

!  the  latter  when  it  is  desired  to  change  the  ship's 


ANCHOR-LINING 


36 


ANNULAR 


head  in  certain  directions  so  as  to  bring  the  bat 
teries  to  bear  on  the  enemy. 

Anchoring  in  very  deep  water  (as  a  temporary 
expedient)  may  be  done  by  means  of  the  stream- 
anchor  (see  ANCHOR)  and  a  hawser. — S.  B.  Luce, 
Captain  U.S.N. 

Anchor-lining.  Short  pieces  of  plank  fast 
ened  to  the  ship's  side,  under  the  fore-channels, 
to  prevent  the  anchor  from  bruising  the  side 

Anchor-ring.  The  ring  to  which  the  cable 
is  bent.  Now  generally  a  shackle,  or  Jew's- 
harp. 

Anchor-seat.     An  old  term  for  the  prow. 

Anchor-shackle.  The  shackle  in  the  end 
of  the  shank.  The  ring. 

Anchorsmith.     A  forger  of  anchors. 

Anchor-stock.  A  beam  of  wood  or  iron, 
secured  to  the  shank  at  right  angles  to  the  flukes. 

Anchor-stock-fashion.  The  method  of 
placing  the  butt  of  one  plank  nearly  over  the 
middle  of  another;  the  planks  being  broadest  in 
the  middle  and  tapering  to  the  ends  resemble  an 
anchor-stock. 

Anchor-stocking.  A  method  of  securing 
and  working  planks  with  tapered  butts. 

Anchor-watch.  A  small  number  of  men 
kept  on  duty  at  night,  while  the  ship  is  in  port, 
to  be  in  readiness  to  do  any  duty  that  may  be  re 
quired,  especially  to  let  go  an  anchor,  veer  cable, 
hoist  head-sails,  set  spanker,  or  to  man  a  boat. 

Anchovy.  A  fish  of  the  family  Clupiedce, 
caught  in  large  numbers  in  the  Mediterranean, 
and  pickled  for  exportation. 

Ancon.     The  angle  of  a  knee-timber. 

ANCON.     (Sp.)     Harbor,  bay,  anchorage. 

Anderson,  Culjohn.  A  Swede.  He  made 
two  journeys  into  the  interior  of  Africa  in  ex 
ploration  of  the  source  of  the  Niger.  He  reached 
Lake  Ngami,  in  the  S.W.  of  the  continent,  and 
published  a  work  on  the  Okevengo  River. 

Andromeda.  A  northern  constellation  be 
hind  Pegasus,  Cassiopeia,  and  Perseus,  repre 
senting  the  figure  of  a  woman  chained,  a  An- 
dromedce,  Alpheratz. 

Anemometer.  An  instrument  for  measuring 
the  force  and  velocity  of  the  wind.  They  are  of 
various  forms,  and  indicate  the  force  directly,  as 
against  a  plate  compressing  a  spring,  or  the  ve 
locity,  as  by  a  revolution  of  a  wheel  carrying 
vanes  or  hemispherical  cups.  They  are  often 
self-registering. 

Anemoscope.  A  vane-index  with  pointers  to 
show  the  change  of  the  wind  without  referring 
to  the  vane. 

An-end.  The  position  of  a  spar  when  erected 
perpendicularly.  The  topmasts  are  an-end  when 
they  are  fidded. 

To  STRIKE  A  PLANK  AN-END  is  to  drive  it  in 
the  direction  of  its  length. 

Anent,  or  Anenst.   Opposite  to  ;  over  against. 

Aneroid  Barometer.     See  BAROMETER. 

Angel-fish.  The  Squatina  angelus,  of  the 
shark  family.  It  is  six  or  eight  feet  long,  with 
a  rough  back  and  smooth  white  belly. 

Angel-head.  The  barb  of  an  arrow;  prob 
ably  angle-head. 

Angel-shot.  A  projectile  composed  of  two 
hollow  half  balls  connected  by  a  chain,  which  is 
inclosed  in  their  cavity  when  they  are  brought 
together  ;  a  kind  of  chain-shot. 

Angil.  An  old  term  for  a  fishing-hook,  and 
also  for  the  red  worm  used  for  bait. 


Angle.  A  corner.  The  difference  in  direc 
tion  of  two  lines  in  the  same  plane,  proceeding 
from  the  same  point. 

A  SPHERICAL  ANGLE  is  formed  by  the  inter 
section  of  two  great  circles.  It  is  the  inclina 
tion  of  the  planes  of  these  circles  to  each  other. 

A  SOLID  ANGLE  is  formed  by  the  meeting  of 
three  planes  at  one  point.  See  ELEVATION,  FIRE, 
SIGHT,  MAST-HEAD,  LEEWAY. 

Angon.     A  half-pike  or  javelin. 

Angosiade.  An  astronomical  falsehood ;  a 
term  originating  from  the  pretended  observations 
of  D'Angos  at  Malta. 

Angra.     (Sp.)     Bay  or  inlet. 

Anguilliform.  Having  the  appearance  of 
eels. 

Angular  Crab.  An  ugly  long-armed  crusta 
cean,  with  eyes  on  remarkably  long  stalks. 

Anilla.     A  commercial  term  for  indigo. 

Animal  Flowers.  Actiniae,  or  sea-anemones 
and  similar  animals  project  a  circle  of  tentacula 
resembling  flowers.  They  were  formerly  all 
classed  under  Zoophytes. 

Animate.     To  give  power  or  encouragement. 

To  ANIMATE  A  NEEDLE.     To  magnetize  it. 

To  ANIMATE  A  BATTERY.  To  put  the  guns 
in  position. 

Anker.  A  Dutch  measure  containing  ten 
wine  gallons. 

ANKER-FISH.     A  kind  of  cuttle-fish. 

Ankle-bone.  A  sailor's  name  for  the  craw 
fish. 

Anna.  In  the  East  Indies,  the  16th  part  of  a 
rupee,  about  three  cents  in  United  States  cur 
rency. 

Annapolis.  A  city  and  port  of  entry  in  Mary 
land,  on  the  S.W.  bank  of  the  Severn  River,  3 
miles  from  its  entrance  into  the  Chesapeake  Bay, 
30  S.  by  E.  from  Baltimore.  Lat.  38°  58'  50" 
N. ;  Ion.  76°  30'  W.  The  United  States  Naval 
Academy  is  here  located.  Pop.  about  6000. 

Annealing.  There  are  many  substances  which , 
when  rapidly  cooled  after  having  been  heated, 
become  exceedingly  brittle;  this  result  may  be 
prevented  by  very  slow  cooling,  which  process 
is  termed  annealing.  By  this  process  the  sub 
stance  is  rendered  softer  and  less  brittle,  but  its 
elasticity  is  impaired. 

Annet.     A  kind  of  gull. 

Annex.  A  term  used  on  the  Mississippi  and 
other  Western  rivers  to  indicate  the  pilot-house 
of  steamboats,  called  also  "  Texas."  The  term 
is  said  to  have  originated  about  the  time  of  the 
annexation  of  Texas  to  the  United  States. 

Annihilator,  Fire.     See  FIRE-EXTINGUISHER. 

Anniversary  Winds.  Those  which  blow  con 
stantly  at  a  certain  season  of  the  year ;  as,  mon 
soon  and  etesian  winds. 

Annotinae.  The  ancient  Roman  provision 
vessels. 

Annual.     Yearly. 

ANNUAL  ACCOUNTS.  The  ship's  books  and 
papers  for  the  year. 

ANNUAL  VARIATION.  The  yearly  change  in 
the  variation  of  the  compass.  The  change  pro 
duced  in  the  right  ascension  or  declination  of  a 
star  by  the  precession  of  the  equinoxes  and  the 
proper  motion  of  the  star  taken  together. 

Annul.     To  revoke  ;  to  rescind. 

Annular.     Resembling  a  ring. 

AN  ANNULAR  ECLIPSE  takes  place  when  the 
apparent  diameter  of  the  moon  is  less  than  that  of 


ANNULLING 


37 


APEX 


the  sun,  and  a  ring  of  light  surrounds  the  moon 
while  central. 

ANNULAR  SCUPPER.  A  scupper  in  which  the 
hole  may  be  enlarged  or  diminished  by  a  movable 
concentric  ring. 

Annulling  Signal.  A  signal  which  denotes 
that  the  previous  signal  is  void. 

Annulus  Astronomicus.  A  ring  of  brass  used 
formerly  in  navigation. 

Anode.  The  positive  pole  of  an  electric  bat 
tery  ;  or,  more  strictly,  the  path  by  which  the 
current  passes  out  and  enters  the  electrolyte  on 
its  way  to  the  other  pole ;  opposed  to  cathode. 

Anomalistic  Revolution  or  Period.  The  pe 
riod  during  which  a  planet  makes  a  complete 
revolution  from  any  point  in  its  orbit  back  again. 

ANOMALISTIC  YEAR,  or  PERIODICAL  YEAR. 
The  time  in  which  the  earth  makes  its  anoma 
listic  revolution,  which  is  longer  than  the  tropi 
cal  year  on  account  of  the  precession  of  the  equi 
noxes. 

Anomaly.     Deviation  from  established  rules. 

Anomoural.  Irregular  in  the  character  of 
the  tail  or  abdomen ;  as,  the  anomoural  crus 
taceans,  a  group  between  the  crabs  and  the 
shrimps. 

Anon.  Quickly ;  immediately.  At  another 
time. 

Anonymous  Partnerships.  Those  not  carried 
on  under  a  special  name,  and  the  particulars  of 
which  are  known  only  to  the  parties  themselves. 

Ansae.  The  handles  of  old  ordnance.  The 
projections  of  Saturn's  rings  in  certain  situations. 

Anser.  A  Linnaean  order  of  natatorial  birds 
swimming  by  means  of  web-feet,  as  the  duck,  or 
of  lobe-feet,  as  the  grebe. 

Anson,  George,  Lord.  An  English  admiral ; 
born  in  Staffordshire,  England,  in  1697  ;  entered 
the  navy  at  an  early  age,  and  in  1724  was  made 
post-captain.  He  was  soon  ordered  to  the  Caro 
lina  station,  where  he  purchased  land  and  built 
a  town  called  after  his  own  name.  He  was  sub 
sequently  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  South 
Sea  Expedition  which  sailed  from  England  in 
1740.  After  his  return,  in  1744,  he  was  succes 
sively  created  rear-admiral  of  the  blue,  commis 
sioner  of  the  admiralty,  and  vice-admiral.  In 
1747  he  commanded  the  Channel  Fleet,  and  cap 
tured  six  French  ships  of  war.  As  a  reward  for 
this  brilliant  exploit  he  was  created  a  peer,  with 
the  title  of  Lord  Anson,  Baron  of  Soberton.  He 
was  First  Commissioner  of  the  Admiralty  from 
1751  to  1756.  In  1757  Anson  was  made  ad 
miral,  and  in  the  same  year  was  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  admiralty.  Died  in  1762.  No  book 
in  the  English  language  possesses  a  greater 
charm  for  youth  and  the  lover  of  adventure  than 
"  Anson's  Voyage." 

Answer.  To  reply.  To  suit ;  as,  this  boat  will 
not  answer. 

ANSWER  THE  HELM.  A  ship  is  said  to  an 
swer  the  helm  when  she  obeys  it  readily. 

Answering  Pennant.  A  pennant  which  is 
hoisted  to  indicate  that  a  signal  has  been  read 
and  understood. 

Antarctic.  Eelating  to  the  South  Pole  or  to 
the  region  near  it. 

ANTARCTIC  CIRCLE.  A  parallel  23°  28'  from 
the  South  Pole. 

ANTARCTIC  POLE.     The  South  Pole. 

ANTARCTIC  OCEAN.  The  portion  of  the  ocean 
included  within  the  Antarctic  Circle. 


Antares.  A  star  of  the  first  magnitude,  popu 
larly  known  as  the  Scorpion's  heart  (a  Scorpionis). 

Antecians.  Those  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
who  live  on  the  same  meridian,  but  in  opposite 
hemispheres. 

Antelucan.     Before  daybreak. 

Ante-meridian.     Before  noon. 

Anthelion.  A  luminous  appearance  on  a  cloud, 
over  against  or  opposite  to  the  sun.  It  consists 
of  a  circular  ring  or  rings  around  the  shadow 
of  the  spectator's  own  head  as  projected  on  a 
cloud  or  on  some  opposite  fog-bank. 

Anthracite.    See  COAL. 

Anticthones.  Inhabitants  of  countries  di 
ametrically  opposite  to  each  other. 

Anti-friction  Composition.     See  FRICTION. 

Anti-friction  Metals.     See  FRICTION. 

Anti-gallicians.  Extra  backstays  sometimes 
used  by  merchant  vessels  running  before  the 
trades. 

Anti-guggler.  A  straw  or  tube  introduced 
into  a  bottle  or  cask  to  suck  out  the  contents. 

Anti-parallels.  Lines  which  make  equal 
angles  with  two  other  lines  but  contrary  ways. 

Antipathes.  A  kind  of  coral  having  a  black, 
horny  stem. 

Antipodes.  The  inhabitants  of  the  earth  di 
ametrically  opposite  to  each  other.  The  term  is 
now  applied  to  the  countries  which  are  at  the 
opposite  ends  of  any  diameter  of  the  earth. 

Antiscii.  The  people  who  dwell  in  opposite 
hemispheres,  and  whose  shadows  at  noon  fall  in 
contrary  directions. 

Antiscorbutic.  Opposed  to,  or  counteracting 
scurvy.  See  SCURVY. 

Antiseptic.  Opposed  to,  or  counteracting 
putrefaction,  or  tendency  to  putrefaction,  in  the 
system. 

Antlia.  A  constellation  known  as  the  Air- 
Pump. 

Antwerp.  A  city  of  Belgium,  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Scheldt.  Lat.  51°  IS'  2'  N. ;  Ion. 
4°  24'  2"  E.  It  is  strongly  fortified,  the  walls 
and  other  defenses  completely  incompassing  the 
city  on  the  land-side,  having  more  than  12  miles 
of  solid  ramparts.  Of  the  stocks,  dock-yard,  and 
basins,  constructed  by  Napoleon  at  an  expense 
of  $10,000,000,  the  last  only  remain.  The  har 
bor  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world ;  it  admits 
vessels  of  any  size,  and  can  easily  hold  1000. 
Pop.  150,000. 

Anvil.  The  massive  block  of  iron  on  which 
shipsmiths  hammer  forge-work.  A  streamer  at 
the  end  of  a  lance. 

Any  Port  in  a  Storm.  A  phrase  signifying 
contentment  with  one's  lot.  The  best  practicable 
way  out  of  a  difficulty. 

Ape,  or  Sea-Ape.  The  long-tailed  shark.  An 
active  American  seal. 

Apeak.  Near  the  perpendicular.  An  anchor 
is  apeak  when  the  chain  is  up-and-down.  The 
oars  are  apeak  when  the  blades  are  thrown  for 
ward  and  the  crew  is  waiting  for  the  order  to 
"  give  way"  in  racing.  With  an  awning  spread 
in  a  boat  it  is  impossible  to  "  up  oars."  When 
they  are  raised  as  high  as  the  awning  permits 
they  are  said  to  be  apeak. 

Apertse.  Ancient  deep-waisted  ships  with 
high-decked  forecastle  and  poop. 

Aperture.  The  clear  diameter  of  the  object- 
glass  of  optical  instruments. 

Apex.     The  summit  or  vertex. 


APHELION 


38 


AQUAKIUS 


Aphelion.  The  point  in  a  planet's  orbit  which 
is  at  the  greatest  distance  from  the  sun. 

Aphelian.     Castor,     a  Geminorum. 

Aphracti.     Ancient  vessels  with  open  waists. 

Aplanatic.  Having  two  or  more  lenses  of 
different  curvatures  so  combined  that  their  re 
spective  aberrations  neutralize  each  other,  and 
the  resulting  compound  lens  is  free  from  spheri 
cal  aberration. 

Aplets.     Nets  for  the  herring  fishery. 

Aplustre.  An  old  word  for  the  ornament  at 
the  bow  and  for  the  ensign  at  the  stern. 

Aplysia.  A  sea-hare  of  the  genus  of  mol- 
lusks  of  the  order  Tectibranchiata,  Some  of  the 
species  have  the  power  of  throwing  out  a  deep 
purple  liquor,  which  colors  the  water  for  a  con 
siderable  distance  and  serves  to  conceal  the  ani 
mal. 

Apobathrse.  Ancient  gang-boards  from  the 
ship  to  the  wharf. 

Apogee.  That  point  of  the  moon's  orbit  which 
is  at  the  greatest  distance  from  the  earth.  For 
merly,  on  the  supposition  that  the  earth  was  the 
centre  of  the  system,  this  name  was  given  to  the 
point  in  the  orbit  of  the  sun,  or  of  a  planet,  which 
was  at  the  greatest  distance  from  the  earth. 

A-poise.     Balanced  ;  properly  trimmed. 

Apostle.  A  knight-head  or  bollard  timber. 
A  paper  sent  up  on  appeals  in  the  admiralty 
courts. 

Apothecary.  The  chief  assistant  of  the  medi 
cal  officer.  He  is  appointed  by  the  surgeon  for 
the  cruise.  Familiarly  known  as  u  Pills." 

Appalachicola.  A  port  of  entry  of  Florida, 
on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ap 
palachicola  Eiver.  Pop.  1200. 

Apparatus.  Ammunition  and  equipage  for 
war. 

Apparel.  In  marine  insurance,  the  furniture 
of  a  ship ;  as,  masts,  sails,  ground-tackle,  guns, 
etc.  It  is  a  more  comprehensive  term  than  ap 
paratus. 

Appareled.     Fully  equipped. 

Apparent.  (Lat.  apparere^  to  appear.)  An  ad 
jective  indicating  that  which  appears  to  the 
senses — phenomenal. 

11  Apparent"  is  sometimes  equivalent  to  true  or 
real,  when  contrasted  with  fictitious  or  imaginary. 
Thus  the  "  apparent  sun"  is  the  true  sun  we  see, 
as  opposed  to  the  imaginary  u  mean  sun"  ;  "  ap 
parent  time"  is  reckoned  by  the  hour-angles  of 
the  same  sensible  body  opposed  to  "  mean  time," 
which  is  defined  by  the  movement  of  the  fictitious 
mean  sun;  "apparent  noon"  is  when  the  true 
sun  is  on  the  meridian,  and  is  distinguished  from 
the  "  mean  noon,"  which  is  marked  by  the  transit 
of  the  mean  sun. 

"  Apparent"  is  sometimes  used  as  a  qualifica 
tion,  distinguishing  on  the  one  hand  from  ob 
served,  and  on  the  other  from  true.  It  is  in  this 
sense  applied  to  elements  corrected  for  instru 
mental  and  circumstantial  sources  of  error,  but 
not  yet  reduced  to  the  common  standard  for  com 
parison  and  computation.  We  thus  have  the 
"  apparent  altitude"  of  a  heavenly  body,  and  the 
"  apparent  distance"  of  two  heavenly  bodies, 
distinguished  on  the  one  hand  from  the  "ob 
served,"  and  on  the  other  from  the  "  true"  alti 
tude  and  distance.  So  also  there  is  the  "  appa 
rent  place"  of  a  heavenly  body  in  the  celestial 
concave,  and  the  "  true  place." 

"  Apparent"  is  sometimes  opposed  to  proper,  to 


distinguish  the  phenomenal  diurnal  motion  of 
the  heavenly  bodies  resulting  from  the  earth's 
rotation  on  her  axis,  from  that  which  is  due  to 
the  annual  revolution  of  the  earth  in  her  orbit, 
and  to  the  motion  of  each  body  in  its  orbit. 

Apparition.  The  first  appearance  of  a  star 
after  occultation. 

CIRCLE  OF  PERPETUAL  APPARITION.  A 
circle  whose  distance  from  the  elevated  pole  is 
equal  to  the  latitude  of  the  place  of  observation. 
Within  this  circle  the  stars  never  set. 

Appearance.  The  first  making  of  a  land-fall ; 
formerly  astronomically  used  for  phenomenon 
and  phase. 

Appendages.  The  valves,  gauges,  etc.,  of  a 
boiler.  The  comparatively  small  portions  out 
side  the  main  body  of  the  ship ;  as  the  keel, 
rudder,  etc.  Their  volume  is  computed  sepa 
rately  and  added  to  the  main  calculation  to  de 
termine  the  displacement  of  a  ship. 

Apple-pie-order.  In  excellent  condition ;  neat 
and  trim. 

Appoint.    To  assign  or  designate  by  authority. 

APPOINTED  OFFICERS  are  petty  officers  shipped 
for  the  cruise  for  special  service,  and  not  entitled 
to  continuous-service  certificates ;  as,  master-at- 
arms,  yeomen,  etc. 

An  acting  appointment  may  be  issued  by  the 
commander-in-chief  when  a  permanent  vacancy 
occurs  which  cannot  be  filled  from  the  super 
numerary  officers  of  other  ships.  This  appoint 
ment  must  be  in  writing,  and  subject  to  revoca 
tion  by  himself,  his  successor,  and  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy.  An  officer  holding  an  acting  ap 
pointment  wears  the  uniform  of  the  grade  to 
which  he  is  appointed,  and  annexes  his  acting 
rank  to  his  official  signature. 

Appointments.  The  various  details  consti 
tuting  the  equipment  of  a  vessel,  or  the  accoutre 
ments  of  an  officer  or  enlisted  man. 

Apportionment.  The  act  of  apportioning  ;  a 
dividing  into  just  proportions  or  shares  ;  as,  in 
the  distribution  of  prize-money. 

Appraisement.     A  valuation.     A  law  instru 


ment  taken  out  by  the  captors  of  a  vessel. 

To 
to  punishment. 


Apprehend.     To  seize  a  person  with  a  view 


Apprentice.     See  NAVAL  APPRENTICE. 

Appropriation.  A  sum  of  money  set  apart  by 
Congress  for  a  particular  purpose. 

Approve.     To  sanction  officially. 

Appulse.  The  near  approach  of  one  heavenly 
body  to  another,  so  as  to  form  an  apparent  con 
tact. 

Apron.  A  timber  conforming  to  the  shape  of 
the  stem,  and  fixed  in  the  concave  part  of  it,  ex 
tending  from  the  head  to  some  distance  below 
the  scarf,  joining  the  upper  and  lower  stem- 
pieces. 

APRON  OF  A  DOCK.  The  platform  on  which 
the  sill  is  fastened  down. 

APRON  OF  A  GUN.  The  metal  cover  for  the 
lock  and  vent. 

Apsides,  Line  of.  The  right  line  joining  the 
aphelion  and  perihelion  points  of  the  orbit  of  a 
planet.  The  term  is  also  applied  to  the  line 
joining  the  perigee  and  apogee  of  the  moon. 

Apsis.     Each  extremity  of  the  line  of  apsides. 

Apus.  A  constellation  known  as  the  Bird  of 
Paradise. 

Aquarius.  The  W^ater-carrier,  the  eleventh 
sign  in  the  zodiac,  which  the  sun  enters  about 


AQUATIC 


39 


ARIES 


the  21st  of  January ;  so  called  from  the  rains 
which  prevail  at  that  season  in  Italy  and  the 
East. 

Aquatic.    Inhabiting  or  relating  to  the  water. 

Aquatites.  The  law-term  for  everything 
living  in  the  water. 

Aque.  Wall-sided,  flat-floored  boats,  which 
navigate  the  Rhine. 

Aqueduct.  A  conduit  or  canal  built  for  the 
conveyance  of  water. 

Aquila.  The  Eagle  ;  a  constellation  in  which 
is  a  very  bright  star  (Altair]  much  used  by  nav 
igators  in  taking  observations. 

Aquilon.     The  northeast  wind. 

Ara.  The  Altar ;  a  southern  constellation, 
containing  nine  stars. 

Aramech.  The  Arabic  name  for  the  star 
Arcturus. 

Arbalist.  An  engine  to  throw  stones,  or  the 
cross-bow  used  for  darts  and  arrows.  Formerly 
arbalisters  formed  part  of  the  naval  force. 

Arbiter.  The  judge  to  whom  a  matter  is  re 
ferred  for  adjustment. 

Arbitrage.  The  referring  of  commercial  dis 
putes  to  two  or  more  disinterested  persons. 

Arbitration.  The  settlement  of  disputes  out 
of  court. 

Arbor.     A  spindle  or  axis. 

Arby.     The  thrift,  or  sea-lavender. 

Arc.     A  part  of  a  circle. 

DIURNAL  ARC.  That  part  of  a  circle,  paral 
lel  to  the  equator,  which  a  heavenly  body  de 
scribes  from  its  rising  to  its  setting.  The  noc 
turnal  arc  is  the  arc  described  by  the  body  from 
its  setting  to  its  rising. 

THE  ARC  OF  DIRECTION  OR  PROGRESSION  is 
the  arc  which  a  planet  appears  to  describe  when 
its  motion  is  direct  in  the  order  of  the  signs. 

ARC  OF  VISION.  The  sun's  depth  below  the 
horizon  when  the  stars  begin  to  appear. 

Archangel.  A  town  of  Russia,  on  the  Dwina, 
20  miles  from  its  embouchure  in  the  Bay  of 
Archangel.  Lat.  64°  32'  N. ;  Ion.  40°  33'  E. 
This  is  one  of  the  oldest  ports  in  Russia,  having 
been  founded  in  1584,  and  was  long  the  only 
one.  Pop.  20,000. 

Arch-board.  The  part  of  the  stern  over  the 
counter,  immediately  under  the  knuckle  of  the 
stern-timbers. 

Arched  Squall.     See  SQUALL. 

Archel,  Archil,  or  Orchil.  A  lichen  found 
on  the  rocks  of  the  Canary  and  Cape  de  Verde 
Islands.  Litmus  is  obtained  from  it. 

Arches.  A  term  among  seamen  for  the  Arch 
ipelago.  See  GALLEY-ARCH  KS. 

Archi-gubernus.  The  commander  of  the  im 
perial  ship  in  olden  times. 

Archimedes'  Screw.  An  ingenious  spiral 
pump  invented  by  Archimedes  B.C.  260.  It  is 
also  used  for  removing  grain  from  a  lower  to  a 
higher  level.  The  name  is  applied  also  to  the 
screw-propeller. 

Arching.  The  drooping  of  the  extremities  of 
a  vessel.  See  HOGGING. 

Archipelago.  Originally  the  ^Egean  Sea.  A 
body  of  water  interspersed  with  many  islands. 

Architecture.     See  NAVAL  ARCHITECTURE. 

Archives.  Public  records  and  papers,  which 
are  preserved  as  evidence  of  facts. 

Arch  of  the  Cove.  An  elliptical  moulding 
sprung  over  the  cove  of  the  ship,  at  the  lower 
part  of  the  taffrail. 


Arctic.  Northern,  or  lying  under  Arktos,  the 
Bear. 

AKCTIC  POLE.     The  north  pole  of  the  globe. 

ARCTIC  OCEAN.  The  expanse  of  water  within 
the  Arctic  Circle. 

ARCTIC  CIRCLE.  A  parallel  distant  23°  28' 
from  the  north  pole.  It  divides  the  north  frigid 
from  the  north  temperate  zone. 

Arcturus.  A  star  of  the  first  magnitude  close 
to  the  knee  of  Bootes,  a  Bootis. 

Ardent.  Said  of  a  ship  when  she  has  a  tend 
ency  to  come  to  the  wind,  and  keeps  a  strain  on 
the  weather  tiller-rope. 

Ardent  Spirits.  Distilled  liquors.  They  are 
not  permitted  to  be  on  board  a  man-of-war  ex 
cept  as  medicinal  stores. 

Arenaceous.  Brittle;  sandy;  partaking  of 
the  qualities  of  sand. 

Arenal.  In  meteorology,  applied  to  a  cloud 
of  dust  so  thick  as  to  prevent  seeing  a  stone's- 
throw  off,  common  in  South  America,  being 
raised  by  the  wind  from  adjoining  shores. 

Arenation.  The  burying  of  scorbutic  patients 
up  to  their  neck  in  sand ;  spreading  hot  sand 
over  a  diseased  person. 

Arendal.  A  seaport  town  of  Norway,  36  miles 
N.E.  of  Christiansand,  on  the  Skager-Rack,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Nid-Elv.  It  has  a  custom 
house  and  yards  for  ship-building.  Pop.  5800. 

Areometer.  An  instrument  for  measuring  the 
specific  gravity  of  fluids  ;  a  hydrometer. 

Argin.     An  old  word  for  embankment. 

Argo.  The  name  of  the  ship  which  carried 
Jason  and  his  companions  on  their  romantic  ex 
pedition  to  Colchis  in  quest  of  the  golden  fleece. 

Argol.  The  lees  of  wine  adhering  to  the  cask  ; 
supertartrate  of  potassa. 

Argonauta.  The  paper-nautilus.  The  sail 
which  it  spreads  is  a  modified  arm,  which  invests 
the  outer  surface  of  the  shell. 

Argonauts.  The  company  that  sailed  in  the 
"Argo."  A  geographical  society  instituted  at 
Venice,  to  which  we  are  indebted  for  the  charts 
and  maps  of  Coronelli.  In  the  United  States, 
the  men  who  first  emigrated  to  California  on  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  1849  are  sometimes  styled 
Argonauts. 

Argo  Navis.  The  constellation  of  the  Ship, 
containing  9  clusters,  3  nebulae,  540  single  and 
13  double  stars,  of  which  64  are  visible. 

Argosy.  A  ship  of  great  burden,  particularly 
of  the  Levant. 

Argozin,  or  Argnesys.  The  person  who  at 
tended  to  the  shackles  of  the  galley-slaves. 

Argument.  (Lat.  argumentum,  a  reason.)  In 
astronomical  tables  the  argument  is  that  quan 
tity  upon  which  the  tabulated  one  depends,  and 
with  which,  therefore,  the  table  is  "entered.'' 
Thus,  in  a  table  of  correction  for  refraction,  the 
altitude  is  the  argument.  When  the  element 
tabulated  depends  upon  two  given  ones,  then 
there  are  two  arguments  with  which  to  enter  the 
table,— one  at  the  side,  the  other  at  the  top. 
Thus,  for  the  correction  for  the  moon's  altitude, 
the  arguments  of  the  principal  table  are  the  ap 
parent  altitude  and  the  minutes  of  the  moon's 
horizontal  parallax. 

Argus-shell.  A  species  of  shell  beautifully 
variegated  with  spots,  resembling  in  some  meas 
ure  those  in  a  peacock's  tail. 

Aries,  the  Constellation  of.  (Lat.  Aries,  Ari- 
etis,  ' '  The  Ram. ' ')  The  first  constellation  of  the 


AEIES 


40 


AEMOR 


Ancient  zodiac,  marking  the  period  for  the  com 
memoration  of  the  mythical  golden  fleece.  The 
only  two  stars  in  it  of  any  note  are  a  and  (3  near 
together  in  the  horns,  a  being  the  more  north 
erly. 

ARIES,  THE  SIGN  OF.  The  division  of  the 
ecliptic,  including  the  first  30°  of  longitude,  reck 
oning  from  the  first  point  of  Aries.  This  origin, 
owing  to  the  precession  of  the  equinoxes,  is  at 
present  in  the  constellation  Pisces.  Symbol  7. 

ARIES,  FIRST  POINT  OF.  The  "Vernal  Equi 
noctial  Point,"  one  of  the  points  where  the  eclip 
tic  crosses  the  equinoctial,  so  called  as  being  the 
commencement  of  the  sign  Aries.  See  EQUI 
NOCTIAL  POINTS. 

Aries.     A  battering-ram.     (Roman  Antiq.) 

Aris.  Sharp  corners  of  stones  in  piers  and 
docks. 

Aris-pieces.  Those  parts  of  a  made  mast 
which  are  under  the  hoops. 

Ark.  Noah's  vessel.  It  was  300  cubits  in 
length,  50  in  breadth,  and  30  in  height,  and  it 
was  payed  over  with  bitumen.  A  comparison 
of  its  proportions  with  those  of  the  "  Great  East 
ern"  shows  a  considerable  similarity.  Reckon- 
ing  the  cubit  at  21  inches,  the  length  of  the  ark 
would  be  525  feet,  breadth  87  feet  6  inches, 
height  52  feet  6  inches,  the  "  Great  Eastern"  being 
in  length  680  feet,  breadth  83,  depth  58.  It  is 
mentioned  by  German  commentators  that  Peter 
Jansen,  in  1609,  built  a  vessel  of  the  same  pro 
portions  as  the  ark,  though  smaller,  viz. :  length 
120,  width  20,  depth  12  feet.  It  was  found  most 
convenient  for  stowage,  containing  one-third  more 
freight  than  ordinary  vessels  of  the  same  ton 
nage,  though  it  was  unsuited  for  making  way 
quickly  through  the  water. 

ARK.     A  mare's-tail  cloud.     A  flat-boat. 

Arm.  A  weapon.  An  inlet  of  the  sea.  The 
end  of  a  yard,  beam,  bracket,  or  axle.  A  branch 
of  the  military  service.  One  of  the  wings  of 
angle-iron.  The  part  of  an  anchor  to  which  the 
flukes  are  attached.  An  index-hand  or  pointer. 

To  ARMS  !     A  summons  to  war  or  battle. 

UNDER  ARMS.     Armed  and  ready  for  fighting. 

To  BE  IN  ARMS.     To  be  in  a  state  of  hostility. 

STAND  OF  ARMS.  A  complete  set  for  one  sol 
dier,  with  equipments ;  frequently  the  rifle  and 
bayonet  alone. 

Arm.  To  fit,  furnish,  and  provide  for  war. 
To  wind  rope-yarns  around  about  a  cross  bar 
shot  to  facilitate  ramming  it  home.  To  put  tal 
low  in  the  cavity  at  the  bottom  of  a  lead  to  bring 
up  specimens  of  the  bottom. 

ARM  AND  AWAY  !  The  order  for  armed  boats 
to  prepare  for  service. 

Armada,  The  Invincible.  The  famous  Span 
ish  armament  so  called  consisted  of  150  ships, 
2650  great  guns,  20,000  soldiers,  8000  sailors,  and 
2000  volunteers,  under  the  Duke  of  Medina  Si- 
donia.  It  arrived  in  the  Channel,  July  19,  1588, 
and  was  defeated  the  next  day  by  Drake  and 
Howard.  Ten  fire-ships  having  been  sent  into 
the  enemy's  fleet,  they  cut  their  cables,  put  to 
sea,  and  endeavored  to  return  to  their  rendezvous 
between  Calais  and  Gravelines ;  the  English  fell 
upon  them,  took  many  ships,  and  Admiral  How 
ard  maintained  a  running  fight  from  the  21st  of 
July  to  the  27th,  obliging  the  shattered  fleet  to 
bear  away  for  Scotland  and  Ireland,  where  a 
storm  dispersed  them,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
armament  returned  by  the  North  Sea  to  Spain. 


The  Spaniards  lost  fifteen  capital  ships  in  the 
engagement,  and  5000  men  ;  seventeen  ships  were 
lost  or  taken  on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  and  up 
wards  of  5000  men  were  drowned,  killed,  or  taken 
prisoners.  The  English  lost  but  one  ship. 

Armadilla.  A  squadron  of  guarda-costas  which 
formerly  cruised  on  the  coast  of  South  America 
to  prevent  smuggling.  ' 

Armador.     A  Spanish  privateer. 

Armament.  A  term  expressing  collectively 
all  the  great  guns  and  small-arms,  with  their 
equipments,  but  generally  applied  to  the  great 
guns  only. 

Armamenta.  The  rigging,  tackling,  and  all 
necessary  furniture  of  an  ancient  ship. 

Armatae.  Ancient  ships  fitted  with  sails  and 
oars,  but  which  fought  under  oars  only. 

Armature.  A  piece  of  soft  metal  connecting 
the  poles  of  a  magnet.  It  serves  to  prevent  the 
dissipation  of  the  magnetic  force. 

Arm-chest.  A  portable  locker  to  afford  a 
ready  supply  of  arms  and  accoutrements. 

Armed.  Supplied  with  weapons ;  fitted  and 
furnished  for  war. 

Armed-in-flute.  Partially  armed,  a  part  of 
the  battery  having  been  removed  and  the  effec 
tive  armament  thus  reduced  below  that  which 
the  vessel  rates. 

Armed-mast.  A  mast  made  of  more  than 
one  tree. 

Armed  Neutrality.     See  NEUTRALITY. 

Armed-ship.  A  vessel  fitted  out  by  private 
parties  to  cruise  against  an  enemy's  commerce. 
She  is  furnished  with  a  letter-of-marque. 

Armed-stem.  A  prow  strengthened  by  armor. 

Arming.     The  tallow  used  to  arm  the*  lead. 

Armings.  Red  dress  cloths,  formerly  hung 
outside  the  upper-works  on  holidays.  A  kind  of 
boarding-netting. 

Armipotent.     Powerful  in  war. 

Armistice.  A  cessation  of  arms  for  a  short 
time  by  convention ;  a  truce. 

Armlet.     A  small  arm  of  the  sea. 

Armogan.  An  old  term  for  good  season  or 
opportunity  for  navigation,  which  if  neglected 
rendered  valid  a  claim  for  demurrage.  A  Med 
iterranean  term  for  fine  weather. 

Armor.  The  term,  as  now  generally  accepted, 
refers  to  metallic  protection  against  the  fire  of 
artillery,  whether  applied  to  ships  or  forts.  The 
metal  of  which  armor  has  been  heretofore  com 
posed  was  iron;  but  the  development  in  the 
power  of  artillery  has  rendered  it  necessary  to 
seek  other  metals  which  would  be  able  to  offer  a 
more  effective  resistance  to  the  impact  of  heavy 
shot  with  high  velocities.  Steel  has  been  much  ex 
perimented  with,  and  has  been  partially  adopted, 
and  later  experiments  lead  to  the  supposition 
that  a  combination  of  iron  and  steel,  called 
"  compound  armor,"  will  ultimately  be  in  gen 
eral  use.  A  description  of  this  combination  of 
metals  will  be  found  under  its  proper  heading. 
The  thickness  of  armor  must  of  course  depend 
upon  the  service  on  which  a  ship  is  to  be  em 
ployed  and  upon  her  floating  capacity ;  and,  in 
case  of  forts,  upon  the  depth  of  water  in  the 
approaching  channels,  which  will  determine  the 
character  of  vessel  that  is  likely  to  be  able  to 
approach  within  range  ;  but  interesting  questions 
have  arisen  as  to  the  manner  in  which  armor 
should  be  applied,  whether  it  should  be  left  alto 
gether  unsupported,  or  whether  partially  sup- 


ARMOR 


41 


ARMOR 


FIG.  1. 


ported,  or  whether  assisted  by  direct  support 
from  the  structure  to  which  it  is  attached,  or 
whether  elastic  or  solid  backing  is  the  most  ad 
vantageous.  We  will  review  some  of  these  cases 
which  have  constituted  the  points  of  discussion 
on  armor. 

Fig.  1  represents  the  armor-plate  as  applied  to 
the  "Warrior,"  the  first  regular  ironclad  vessel 
of  modern  times.  In  this  case  the  armor  is  4£ 
inches  thick,  with  a  wood  backing  of  18  inches 
and  a  skin-plating  of  £  inch.  The  object  of  the 
iron  plate  is  to  offer  a  strong  ob 
stacle  to  the  blow  of  the  projectile, 
expending,  unaided,  its  whole 
power  of  resistance  in  the  effort. 
So  much  of  the  energy  of  the 
projectile  as  can  be  absorbed  by 
the  strength  of  the  plate  neutra 
lizes  that  amount  of  the  damage 
that  might  have  been  done  to  the 
vessel,  and  if  the  plate  is  des 
troyed  it  has  done  its  duty  in  af 
fording  this  much  protection. 
The  wood  backing  acts  as  a  cushion  to  save  the 
hull  of  the  vessel  from  receiving  any  damage 
from  the  shock  of  the  impact.  This  is  the 
most  simple  means  of  applying  armor.  It  is, 
in  the  words  of  an  eminent  constructor,  "  a  good 
thickness  of  wood  with  a  patch  of  iron  on  the 
outside,"  which  he  declared  to  be  "the  best 
armor  in  the  world  for  ships." 

An  improvement  on  this  plan  of  applying 
armor  was  suggested  by  Mr.  Chalmers,  of  Eng 
land,  who,  observing  the  easy  manner  in  which 
the  wood  backing  yielded  to  the  force  of  impact, 
conceived  the  idea  of  reinforcing  it  so  as  to  pre 
vent  it  from  being  so  readily  deranged.  His 
idea  was  that,  as  the  force  of  impact  was  con 
fined  to  one  point,  and  as  the  wood  backing  nat 
urally  yielded  in  all  directions  to  the  pressure 
applied,  an  increased  element  of  support  could 
be  supplied  to  the  wood  backing  if  this  tendency 
could  be  controlled.  Accordingly,  he  proposed 
that  thin  plates  of  iron  should  be  sandwiched  in, 
horizontally,  between  the  layers  of  wood  back 
ing,  so  as  to  control  in  a  measure  the  yielding 
of  the  wood  in  a  vertical  direction.  These  plates 
of  iron  were  loosely  disposed  between  the  layers 
of  wood,  being  attached  neither  to  the  skin- 
plating  nor  to  the  armor.  On  this  principle  there 
was  constructed  in  England  a  Chalmers  target, 
which  was  fired  at  with  very  good  results  favor 
ing  the  idea,  but  it  was  never  officially  adopted 
by  the  English  government.  Fig.  2  represents 
the  "  Warrior"  armor  with  the  Chalmers  plates, 
as  proposed  by  the  inventor. 

About  the  time  of  the  experiments  with  the 
Chalmers  target,  the  chief  con 
structor  of  the  English  admi 
ralty  introduced  into  the  con 
struction  of  vessels,  intended 
for  ironclads,  a  horizontal  iron 
girder  on  the  outside  of  the 
hulls,  which  was  riveted  to  the 
side  by  angle-irons,  and  which 
gave  much  additional  rigidity 
to  the  hull.  Fig.  3  represents 
the  armor  of  the  "  Bellero 
phon,"  in  which  the  horizontal 
girder  was  introduced. 

In  comparing  Figs.  2  and  3,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  object  of  the  horizontal  plate  of  the 


FIG.  2. 


Chalmers  target  is  achieved  in  the  backing  of  the 
armor  of  the  "  Bellerophon,"  but  with  a  differ 
ence.  In  both  instances  the  horizontal  disposi 
tion  of  the  iron  plate  between  the  layers  of  the 
wood  backing  satisfies  the  demand  made  by  Mr. 
Chalmers  for  the  support  of  the  wood  backing, 
but  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Chalmers  went  no 
farther  than  this.  His  idea  was  simply  to  rein 
force  the  backing  so  as  to  enable  it  to  afford  a 
more  decided  support  to  the  armor;  the  object 
was  to  prevent  the  derangement  of  the  wood 
backing,  consequent  upon  impact  at  one  point, 
by  obstructing  the  vertical  yielding  of  the  wood 
away  from  the  point  of  pressure.  This  effort 
was  confined  solely  to  the  backing.  But,  in  the 
"  Bellerophon"  armor,  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
horizontal  girder,  which  does  the  work  of  the 
Chalmers  plate  between  the  layers  of  the  wood 
backing,  is  connected  with  the  hull  of  the  vessel, 
and  forms  a  part  of  the  structure.  This  involves 
another  and  a  very  important  consideration,  for 
the  shock  of  impact  is  thus  carried  to  the  hull 
of  the  vessel,  and  the  consideration  of  the  sub 
ject  presents  a  very  different  aspect.  A  "  thick 
ness  of  wood  with  a  patch  of  iron  on  the  out 
side,"  bolted  to  a  ship's  side,  is  simply  an  inde 
pendent  attachment,  and  if  the  armor  is  shattered 
by  the  projectile,  and  the  backing  is  pierced,  all 
the  independent  work  that  can  be  done  by  this 
covering  has  been  performed ;  but  if  the  inner 
face  of  the  armor  rests  against  the  edge  of  a  hori 
zontal  iron  plate  or  girder  which  is  connected  to 
the  hull,  this  plate  acts  as  a  strut  behind  a  target, 
and  in  supporting  the  armor  it 
receives  the  force  of  the  blow, 
which  it  communicates  to  the 
hull.  A  point  made  in  defense 
of  the  use  of  the  girder  as  a  sup 
port  to  the  armor  is,  that  the 
force  of  the  shock  is  not  commu 
nicated  to  one  point  alone  of  the 
frame  of  the  hull,  but  is  dissem 
inated  along  an  extensive  por 
tion  of  the  vessel  on  each  side  of 
the  point  of  impact. 

Mr.  John  Hughes,  of  the  late  Millwall  Iron- 
Works,  on  the  Thames,  England,  developed  the 
idea  of  support  to  the  armor-plate  by  the  intro 
duction  of  a  hollow  stringer,  which  bears  his 
name,  which  was  most  successfully  applied  in 
the  celebrated  Millwall  shield, — a  target  which 
was  fired  at  at  Shoeburyness  in  1868.  The  Mill- 
wall  shield  exhibited  very  superior  power  of  re 
sistance  to  all  other  targets  that  were  experi 
mented  on  at  that  time.  The  experiments  of 
that  year  were  made  particularly  interesting 
from  the  fact  that  a  Rodman  15-inch  gun  was 
one  of  those  that  were  used  in  the  firing,  and 
the  inferiority  of  the  gun  in  capacity  to  pene 
trate  armor  was  made  clearly  perceptible.  Fig. 
4  represents  the  Hughes  hollow  girder  or  stringer, 
which  is  placed  horizontally  and  riveted  to  the 
side  of  the  vessel. 

The  hollow  portion  of  the  stringer  is  filled  in 
with  oak. 

On  the  closing  of  the  Millwall  works,  Mr. 
Hughes  undertook  the  establishment  of  large 
iron-works  in  Russia,  under  the  patronage  of 
the  government,  and  his  hollow  stringers  were 
adopted  by  that  government  and  were  applied 
to  the  turreted  vessel  called  the  "  Hercules" 
that  was  building  in  St.  Petersburg  in  1871. 


FJG.  3. 


ARMOR 


42 


ARMOR 


The  name  of  this  vessel  was  afterwards  changed 
to  "Peter  the  Great."  The  hollow  stringers, 
as  applied  to  this  vessel,  were  estimated  to 
be  equal  to  two  inches  of  iron  in  increasing 
her  defensive  capacity.  An  objection  has  been 
made  to  the  use  of  the  Hughes  hollow  stringer 
on  the  ground  that  it  gave  too  much  solidity 
to  the  backing,  thereby  neutralizing  the  advan 
tage  that  was  supposed  to  rest  in  the  elasticity 
afforded  by  the  wood  cushion  ;  but  the  Russian 
authorities"  assert  that,  under  the  violence  of 
the  impact  of  a  heavy  projectile,  there  is  a  de- 

JUT. 

FIG.  4. 

cided  amount  of  elasticity  developed  in  the 
stringer  itself,  which  is  quite  sufficient  to  refute 
the  charge  that  the  whole  structure  is  rendered 
rigid  by  the  use  of  this  device.  In  the  case  of 
the  "Peter  the  Great,"  the  Hughes  stringers 
were  not  placed  in  positive  contact  with  the 
armor-plate,  but  were  provided  with  a  cushion 
of  lignum-vitse,  about  two  inches  thick,  which 
intervened  between  the  outer  face  of  the  stringer 
and  the  inner  side  of  the  plate  ;  this  was  consid 
ered  as  a  refinement  in  the  details  of  applying 
the  stringer,  which  answered  all  objections  to 
its  use. 

Fig.  5  represents  a  method  of  reinforcing  the 
backing  for  armor  which  was  adopted  for  the 
"Colossus"  and  her  class  of  monitors  for  the 
United  States  navy,  but  the  idea  has  not  pro 
gressed  beyond  its  conception. 

At  the  present  time  the  Chalmers  horizontal 
plate,  as  applied  by  the  English  admiralty,  con 
nected  by  an  angle-iron  to  the  hull  and  encir 
cling  the  vessel,  may  be  considered  as  the  most 
generally  adopted  plan  of  reinforcing  the  armor 
of  ironclad  ships. 

In  the  case  of  forts,  the  general  plan  is  to  plate 
with   iron   the    stone-works 
already  constructed,  and,  at 
Spithead,  for  example,  the 
same  plan  is  carried  out  with 
new  fortifications  ;  but  a  no 
table  exception  is  made  to 
this  rule  by  the  Russians  in 
the  new  works  which  they 
have  established  for  the  de 
fense  of  St.  Petersburg   at 
Cronstadt.      A    description 
of  the  different  systems  of 
armor  used  in  these  defenses  will  be  the  best  cita 
tion  that  can  be  made  of  such  plans  for  defense 
as  have  been  considered  worthy  of  being  adopted. 
On  the  south  side  of  the  channel  the  defenses 
consist  entirely  of  turrets,  constructed   on   the 
English  plan  of  rotation  as  used  in  the  English 
turreted  ironclads.     The  outside  plating  of  these 
turrets  is  12  and  14  inches  thick,  and  the  hollow 
stringers  of  Hughes  constitute  the  backing. 

On  the  northern  side  of  the  channel  there  are 
erected  five  casemated  batteries,  the  armor  of 
each  differing  from  that  of  all  the  others. 


FIG.  5. 


Fig.  6  represents  the  system  adopted  for  the 
first  one  of  these  batteries.  It  consists  of  a  9- 
inch  iron  plate,  backed  by  12  inches  of  teak,  rest 
ing  against  a  1-inch  plate  of  iron,  which  is  sup, 


_J 


FIG.  7. 


FIG.  6. 

ported  by  horizontal  girders  of  iron,  12  inches 
wide,  riveted  to  an  inner  1-inch  skin,  all  of 
which  is  backed  by  struts,  which  serve  to  divide 
the  interior  space  in  the  battery  allotted  to  the 
service  of  each. 

Fig.  7  represents  the 
armor  of  the  second  bat 
tery,  which  is  constructed 
on  the  same  plan  as  that 
of  the  first  battery,  with 
the  exception  of  the  gird 
ers  and  the  inner  skin, 
the  1-inch  plate  behind 
the  wood  backing  form 
ing  the  inner  skin.  In 
this  plan  the  wood  back 
ing  is  increased  to  18 
inches  thickness. 

Fig.  8  represents  the  armor  of  the  third  bat 
tery,  which  is  called  the  Lancaster  armor.     The 
edges  of  the  plates  are  tongued 
and  grooved,  and   are   built  up 
one  upon  the  other.     A  part  of 
each  plate  has  a  thickness  of  14 
inches,  while    the    rest    of    the 
same   plate    is    8    inches   thick. 
The   inner  side    of    this    armor 
presents  a  surface  of  horizontal 
ribs,    the    exterior     surface     is 
smooth,   the    inequality  of    the 
thickness    of   each   plate    being 
confined  to  the  inner  side.     The 
armor   is   supported    behind   by 
iron    uprights,   having  on    one 
surface  projecting  squares,  which 
enter  into  the  recesses  between  the  ribs  of  the 
plates.     These  uprights  are  separated  by  inter 
vals  of  2  or  3  feet.     The  whole  is   backed   by 
struts. 

Fig.  9  represents  the  fourth 
battery  with  its  armor.  This 
battery  is  built  of  granite  blocks 
of  Finland  stone,  10  feet  thick. 
This  is  covered  by  2  inches  of 
teak,  on  which  is  placed  the 
armor,  consisting  of  plates  9 
inches  in  thickness.  This  con 
struction  not  requiring  the  sup 
port  of  struts,  the  battery  is 
quite  open  from  one  end  to  the 
other,  which  gives  the  beautiful 
stone  an  opportunity  of  showing  to  advantage. 

Fig.  10  represents  the  fifth  battery,  which  has 
9  inches  of  armor  on  the  exterior.  Behind  this 
there  are  placed  uprights  of  iron  6  inches  square 


FIG.  8. 


AKMOK 


43 


ARRAY 


placed  G  inches  apart,  the  intervals  being  filled 
with  wood.  Behind  this  is  a  wood  backing  con 
sisting  of  12  inches  of  teak.  Behind  this  arc 
placed  the  hollow  stringers  of  Hughes  tilled  in 
with  wood.  These  stringers  are  JO  inches  in 
width,  the  thickness 
at  the  outer  rectan 
gular  face  is  l£  inch, 
and  the  spread  of  the 
angle-irons  forming 
their  base  is  12  in 
ches.  The  stringers 
are  thus  12  inches 
apart.  These  are  riv 
eted  by  their  angle- 
iron  base  to  the  inner 
skin  of  1-inch  iron. 

In  this  combination  of  systems  the  Russian 
authorities  have  adopted  each  in  its  complete 
ness.  Each  invention  has  been  taken  as  a  whole, 
and  the  result  is  a  combination  of  many  systems 
without  a  complication  of  different  ideas. 

Propositions  have  been  made  to  increase  the 
elasticity  of  the  backing  by  the  introduction  of 
hardened  rubber,  etc.,  but  these  plans  have  been 
found  rather  to  assist  than  to  impede  the  pene 
tration  of  projectiles. — E.  Simpson,  Commodore 
U.S.N. 

Armor,  Compound.  Wrought  iron  and  steel 
have,  each,  advantages  and  disadvantages  as 
material  for  armor  for  vessels  of  war.  Wrought 
iron  is  tenacious,  but  does  not  offer  sufficient  re 
sistance  to  the  punching  power  of  the  projectile, 
whereas  steel  offers  great  resistance  to  the  punch 
ing  power,  but  is  comparatively  easily  crumbled 
or  shattered  by  a  succession  of  blows. 

COMPOUND  ARMOR  is  the  result  of  an  effort  to 
combine  the  good  qualities  of  the  two  metals  by 
facing  the  iron  armor  with  steel  plates.  The 
steel  prevents  the  penetration  of  the  shot,  and 
the  iron  backing  by  its  great  tenacity  prevents 
the  destruction  of  the  steel  by  shattering. 

The  plates  are  welded  together  in  the  following 
manner :  The  iron  plate,  raised  to  a  red  heat,  is 
placed  in  a  form,  and  over  it  is  poured  molten 
steel.  The  temperature  of  the  molten  steel  being 
higher  than  the  fusing-point  of  iron,  the  surface 
of  the  iron  plate  becomes  partially  fused,  and  a 
complete  union  of  the  two  metals  is  obtained. 

By  this  process  the  weld  is  not  confined  to  a 
simple  line  as  in  an  ordinary  weld,  but  a  third 
metal  or  semi-steel  is  formed,  varying  in  thick 
ness  from  \  to  f  of  an  inch.  By  the  formation 
of  this  anomalous  steel  the  two  metals  are  joined 
together  inseparably,  or,  in  other  words,  the  iron 
has  run  into  the  steel,  and  steel  into  the  iron. 
Experiments  to  tear  the  two  asunder  have  re 
sulted  in  the  tearing  of  the  iron  while  the  weld 
remained  intact. 

The  compound  armor-plates  thus  obtained  may 
be  rolled  to  any  thickness. 

By  the  invention  of  compound  armor  it  would 
seem  that  the  defense  is  once  more  placed  on  an 
equality  with  the  attack. — H.  T.  Stockton,  Lieu 
tenant  U.S.N. 

Armor,  Submarine.  The  water-tight  dress  of 
a  diver.  See  DIVING. 

Armorer.  A  petty  officer  whose  duty  it  is  to 
keep  the  small-arms  in  condition  for  service. 
Formerly  he  was  the  blacksmith  of  the  ship. 

Armorer's  Mate.  The  assistant  of  the  ar 
morer. 


Armoric.  The  language  of  Brittany,  Corn 
wall,  and  Wales.  The  original  signification  was 
maritime. 

Armory.  A  place  reserved  for  the  storage  of 
small-arms. 

Arm-rack.  A  frame,  generally  vertical,  for 
holding  small-arms. 

Arms.  Weapons  of  offense  and  defense. 
Arms  and  weapons  both  signify  instruments  of 
offense  and  defense,  but  we  say  fire-arms,  never 
fire-weapons.  Cannons,  muskets,  pistols,  are 
fire-arms;  bows  and  arrows,  clubs,  stones,  are 
weapons.  Instruments  made  on  purpose  to  fight 
witn  are  called  arms,  or  weapons  ;  such  as  are 
accidentally  employed  to  fight  with,  weapons. 
(Mech.)  The  two  parts  of  a  balance  or  other 
lever  on  opposite  sides  of  the  fulcrum. 

Armstrong,  James,  Commodore  U.S.N.  Born 
Shelby ville,  Ky.,  January  17,  1794,  died  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  August  27,  1868.  Midshipman, 
November  15,  1809;  lieutenant,  April  27,  1816; 
commander,  March  3,  1825;  captain,  September 
8,  1841 ;  commodore,  July  16,  1866.  Captured 
in  the  "Frolic"  in  1814  by  the  British  frigate 
"Orpheus,"  and  kept  a  prisoner  until  March, 
1815.  Commanded  the  East  India  Squadron 
1855-58,  and  in  1857  attacked  and  captured  the 
Barrier  forts  in  the  Canton  River.  Compelled 
by  a  large  rebel  force  to  surrender  the  Pensacola 
navy-yard,  January  12,  1801. 

Armstrong,  Sir  William  George.  Noted  for 
various  mechanical  inventions,  and  particularly 
that  of  a  gun  of  extraordinary  power  and  pre 
cision.  Born  at  Newcastle,  England,  in  1810, 
was  articled  to  Mr.  Armourer  Donkin,  an  emi 
nent  solicitor  in  Newcastle,  who,  at  the  expira 
tion  of  his  time,  made  him  a  partner.  About 
1838,  observing  one  day  a  little  stream  descend 
ing  along  a  height  near  Newcastle  and  driving 
but  a  single  mill,  he  thought  to  how  much  more 
purpose  it  might  be  applied  hydraulically,  and 
thus  was  led  into  a  course  of  experimenting 
which  resulted  in  his  producing  a  much  improved 
hydraulic  engine.  In  1845  he  invented  a  hy 
draulic  crane,  which  has  proved  to  be  of  eminent 
utility  in  raising  weights  in  harbors.  Soon  after 
the  invention  of  the  gun  which  bears  his  name 
an  office  was  created  for  him,  that  of  Chief  En 
gineer  of  Rifled  Ordnance.  For  description  of 
Armstrong  gun,  see  ORDNANCE. 

Army.  An  armed  force  under  regular  mili 
tary  organization  employed  for  national  offense 
or  defense.  An  army  may  comprise  the  whole 
military  force  employed  by  a  state,  or  only  a  por 
tion  under  a  particular  commander.  A  fleet  is 
sometimes  called  a  naval  army. 

Armye.     An  early  name  for  a  fleet. 

Arnot.     A  shrimp. 

Arquebuse.  A  sort  of  hand-gun  ;  an  old  spe 
cies  of  fire-arm  resembling  a  musket,  and  sup 
ported  upon  a  forked  rest  when  in  use. 

Arrack.  A  spirituous  liquor  manufactured  in 
the  East  Indies  from  various  substances,  but 
chiefly  from  fermented  rice  arid  the  sap  of  the 
cocoa  palm. 

Arraign.  To  call,  or  set  as  a  prisoner,  at  the 
bar  of  the  court  to  answer  to  the  matter  charged 
in  an  indictment  or  complaint. 

Array.  The  order  of  battle.  The  whole  body 
of  officers  constituting  a  court-martial. 

To  ARRAY.  To  equip ;  to  arm  for  battle ;  to 
arrange  in  order  of  battle. 


ARREARS 


44 


ARTICLES 


Arrears.  That  which  is  behind  in  payment, 
but  supposes  a  part  already  paid. 

Arrest.  To  suspend  from  duty,  and  restrain 
from  liberty,  preparatory  to  a  court-martial. 

Arrow.  A  slender  shaft  to  be  shot  from  a 
bow.  It  is  generally  armed  at  one  end  and 
feathered  at  the  other,  though  the  natives  of 
Africa  frequently  feather  the  barbed  end. 

Arsenal.  A  manufactory  or  depository  for 
arms  and  all  military  equipments. 

Artemon.     The  mainsail  of  ancient  ships. 

Articles.  The  express  stipulations  to  which  a 
seaman  binds  himself  when  he  joins  a  merchant 
ship. 

Articles  for  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  Navy.  The  Navy  of  the  United  States 
shall  be  governed  by  the  following  Articles  : 

Article  1.  The  commanders  of  all  fleets,  squad 
rons,  naval  stations,  and  vessels  belonging  to  the 
navy  are  required  to  show  in  themselves  a  good 
example  of  virtue,  honor,  patriotism,  and  subor 
dination  ;  to  be  vigilant  in  inspecting  the  con 
duct  of  all  persons  who  are  placed  under  their 
command ;  to  guard  against  and  suppress  all 
dissolute  and  immoral  practices,  and  to  correct, 
according  to  the  laws  and  regulations  of  the 
navy,  all  persons  who  are  guilty  of  them  ;  and 
any  such  commander  who  offends  against  this 
article  shall  be  punished  as  a  court-martial  may 
direct. 

Article  2.  The  commanders  of  vessels  and 
naval  stations  to  which  chaplains  are  attached 
shall  cause  divine  service  to  be  performed  on 
Sunday,  whenever  the  weather  and  other  circum 
stances  allow  it  to  be  done ;  and  it  is  earnestly 
recommended  to  all  officers,  seamen,  and  others 
in  the  naval  service  diligently  to  attend  at  every 
performance  of  the  worship  of  Almighty  God. 

Article  3.  Any  irreverent  or  unbecoming  be 
havior  during  divine  service  shall  be  punished  as 
a  general  or  summary  court-martial  may  direct. 

Article  4.  The  punishment  of  death,  or  such 
other  punishment  as  a  court-martial  may  ad 
judge,  may  be  inflicted  on  any  person  in  the 
naval  service — 

1.  Who  makes,  or  attempts  to  make,  or  unites 
with    any  mutiny  or    mutinous   assembly,  or, 
being  witness  to  or  present  at  any  mutiny,  does 
not  do  his  utmost  to  suppress  it ;  or,  knowing  of 
any  mutinous  assembly  or  of  any  intended  mu 
tiny,  does   not   immediately    communicate    his 
knowledge  to  his  superior  or  commanding  officer ; 

2.  Or  disobeys  the  lawful  orders  of  his  superior 
officer ; 

3.  Or  strikes  orassaults,  or  attempts  or  threatens 
to  strike  or  assault  his  superior  officer  while  in 
the  execution  of  the  duties  of  his  office ; 

4.  Or  gives  any  intelligence  to,  or  holds  or 
entertains  any  intercourse  with,  an   enemy  or 
rebel,   without   leave   from   the   President,    the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  the  commander-iii-chief 
of  the  fleet,  the  commander  of  the  squadron,  or, 
in  case  of  a  vessel  acting  singly,  from  his  com 
manding  officer ; 

5.  Or  receives  any  message  or  letter  from  an 
enemy  or  rebel,  or,  being  aware  of  the  unlawful 
reception  of  such  message  or  letter,  fails  to  take 
the  earliest  opportunity  to  inform  his  superior  or 
commanding  officer  thereof; 

6.  Or,  in  time  of  war,  deserts  or  entices  others 
to  desert ; 

7.  Or,  in  time  of  war,  deserts  or  betrays  his 


trust,  or  entices  or  aids  others  to  desert  or  betray 
their  trust ; 

8.  Or  sleeps  upon  his  watch  ; 

9.  Or  leaves  his  station  before  being  regularly 
relieved ; 

10.  Or   intentionally  or  willfully  suffers  any 
vessel  of  the  navy  to  be  stranded,  or  run  upon 
rocks  or  shoals,  or  improperly  hazarded ;  or  ma 
liciously  or  willfully  injures  any  vessel  of  the 
navy,  or  any  part  of  her  tackle,  armament,  or 
equipment,  whereby  the  safety  of  the  vessel  is 
hazarded  or  the  lives  of  the  crew  exposed  to 
danger ; 

11.  Or  unlawfully  sets  on  fire,  or  otherwise  un 
lawfully  destroys,  any  public  property  not  at  the 
time  in  possession  of  an  enemy,  pirate,  or  rebel ; 

12.  Or  strikes  or  attempts  to  strike  the  flag  to 
an  enemy  or  rebel,  without  proper  authority,  or, 
when  engaged  in  battle,  treacherously  yields  or 
pusillanimously  cries  for  quarter  ; 

13.  Or,  in  time  of  battle,  displays  cowardice, 
negligence,  or  disaffection,   or  withdraws  from 
or  keeps  out  of  danger  to  which  he  should  ex 
pose  himself; 

14.  Or,  in  time  of  battle,  deserts  his  duty  or 
station,  or  entices  others  to  do  so  ; 

15.  Or  does  not  properly  observe  the  orders  of 
his  commanding  officer,  and  use  his  utmost  exer 
tions  to  carry  them  into  execution,  when  ordered 
to  prepare  for  or  join  in,  or  when  actually  en 
gaged,  in  battle,  or  while  in  sight  of  an  enemy  ; 

16.  Or,  being  in  command  of  a  fleet,  squadron, 
or  vessel  acting  singly,  neglects,  when  an  en 
gagement  is  probable,  or  when  an  armed  vessel 
of  an  enemy  or  rebel  is  in  sight,  to  prepare  and 
clear  his  ship  or  ships  for  action  ; 

17.  Or  does  not,  upon  signal  for  battle,  use  his 
utmost  exei'tions  to  join  in  battle  ; 

18.  Or  fails  to  encourage,  in  his  own  person, 
his  inferior    officers    and    men   to  fight    coura- 


19.  Or  does  not  do  his  utmost  to  overtake  and 
capture  or  destroy  any  vessel  which  it  is  his  duty 
to  encounter ; 

20.  Or  does  not  afford  all  practicable  relief  and 
assistance  to  vessels   belonging   to   the   United 
States  or  their  allies  when  engaged  in  battle. 

Article  5.  All  persons  who,  in  time  of  war,  or 
of  rebellion  against  the  supreme  authority  of  the 
United  States,  come  or  are  found  in  the  capacity 
of  spies,  or  who  bring  or  deliver  any  seducing 
letter  or  message  from  an  enemy  or  rebel,  or  en 
deavor  to  corrupt  any  person  in  the  navy  to  be 
tray  his  trust,  shall  suffer  death,  or  such  other 
punishment  as  a  court-martial  may  adjudge. 

Article  6.  If  any  person  belonging  to  any  pub 
lic  vessel  of  the  United  States  commits  the  crime 
of  murder  without  the  territorial  jurisdiction 
thereof,  he  may  be  tried  by  court-martial  and 
punished  with  death. 

Article  7.  A  naval  court-martial  may  adjudge 
the  punishment  of  imprisonment  for  life,  or  for  a 
stated  term,  at  hard  labor,  in  any  case  where  it 
is  authorized  to  adjudge  the  punishment  of 
death  ;  and  such  sentences  of  imprisonment  and 
hard  labor  may  be  carried  into  execution  in  any 
prison  or  penitentiary  under  the  control  of  the 
United  States,  or  which  the  United  States  may 
be  allowed,  by  the  legislature  of  any  State,  to 
use ;  and  persons  so  imprisoned  in  the  prison  or 
penitentiary  of  any  State  or  Territory  shall  be 
subject,  in  all  respects,  to  the  same  discipline 


ARTICLES 


45 


AKTICLES 


and  treatment  as  convicts  sentenced  by  the  courts 
of  the  State  or  Territory  in  which  the  same  may 
be  situated. 

Article  8.  Such  punishment  as  a  court-martial 
may  adjudge  may  be  inflicted  on  any  person  in 
the  navy — 

1.  Who  is  guilty  of  profane  swearing,  false 
hood,  drunkenness,  gambling,  fraud,  theft,  or 
any  other  scandalous  conduct  tending  to  the  de 
struction  of  good  morals ; 

2.  Or  is  guilty  of  cruelty  toward,  or  oppression 
or   maltreatment  of,  any  person   subject  to  his 
orders  ; 

3.  Or  quarrels  with,  strikes,  or  assaults,  or  uses 
provoking   or  reproachful   words,   gestures,   or 
menaces  toward,  any  person  in  the  navy ; 

4.  Or  endeavors  to  foment  quarrels  between 
other  persons  in  the  navy  ; 

5.  Or  sends  or  accepts  a  challenge  to  fight  a 
duel  or  acts  as  a  second  in  a  duel ; 

6.  Or  treats  his  superior  officer  with  contempt, 
or  is  disrespectful  to  him  in  language  or  deport 
ment,  while  in  the  execution  of  his  office  ; 

7.  Or  joins  in  or  abets   any  combination  to 
weaken  the  lawful  authority  of,  or  lessen  the  re 
spect  due  to,  his  commanding  officer  ; 

8.  Or  utters  any  seditious  or  mutinous  words  ; 

9.  Or  is  negligent  or  careless  in  obeying  orders, 
or   culpably  inefficient  in  the  performance  of 
duty; 

10.  Or  does  not  use  his  best  exertions  to  pre 
vent  the  unlawful  destruction  of  public  property 
by  others ; 

11.  Or,  through  inattention  or  negligence,  suf 
fers  any  vessel  of  the  navy  to  be  stranded,  or  run 
upon  a  rock  or  shoal,  or  hazarded ; 

12.  Qr,  when  attached  to  any  vessel  appointed 
as  convoy  to  any  merchant  or  other  vessels,  fails 
diligently  to  perform  his  duty,  or  demands  or 
exacts  any  compensation  for  his  services,  or  mal 
treats  the  officers  or  crews  of  such  merchant  or 
other  vessels ; 

13.  Or  takes,  receives,  or  permits  to  be  re 
ceived,  on  board  the  vessel  to  which  he  is  at 
tached,  any  goods  or  merchandise,  for  freight, 
sale,   or   traffic,  except  gold,   silver,   or  jewels, 
for  freight  or  safe-keeping ;  or  demands  or  re 
ceives  any  compensation  for  the  receipt  or  trans 
portation  of  any  other  article  than  gold,  silver, 
or  jewels,  without  authority  from  the  President 
or  Secretary  of  the  Navy ; 

14.  Or  knowingly  makes  or  signs,  or  aids,  abets, 
directs,  or  procures  the  making  or  signing  of, 
any  false  muster ; 

15.  Or  wastes  any  ammunition,  provisions,  or 
other  public  property  ;  or,  having  power  to  pre 
vent  it,  knowingly  permits  such  waste ; 

16.  Or,  when  on  shore,  plunders,  abuses,  or 
maltreats  any  inhabitant,  or  injures  his  property 
in  any  way ; 

17.  Or  refuses,  or  fails  to  use,  his  utmost  exer 
tions  to  detect,  apprehend,  and  bring  to  punish 
ment  all  offenders,  or  to  aid  all  persons  appointed 
for  that  purpose ; 

18.  Or,  when  rated  or  acting  as   master-at- 
arms,  refuses  to  receive  such  prisoners  as  may  be 
committed  to  his  charge,    or,  having   received 
them,  suffers  them  to  escape,  or  dismisses  them 
without  orders  from  the  proper  authority  ; 

19.  Or  is  absent  from  his  station  or  duty  with 
out  leave,  or  after  his  leave  has  expired ; 

20.  Or  violates  or  refuses  obedience  to  any  law 


ful  general  order  or  regulation  issued  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  ; 

21.  Or,  in  time  of  peace,  deserts,  or  attempts  to 
desert,  or  aids  and  entices  others  to  desert ; 

22.  Or  receives  or  entertains  any  deserter  from 
any  other  vessel  of  the  navy,  knowing  him  to  be 
such,  and  does  not,  with  all  convenient  speed, 
give  notice  of  such  deserter  to  the  commander  of 
the  vessel  to  which  he  belongs,  or  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief,   or  to  the  commander   of  the 
squadron. 

Article  9.  Any  officer  who  absents  himself 
from  his  command  without  leave  may,  by  the 
sentence  of  a  court-martial,  be  reduced  to  the 
rating  of  an  ordinary  seaman. 

Article  10.  Any  commissioned  officer  of  the 
navy  or  marine  corps  who,  having  tendered  his 
resignation,  quits  his  post  or  proper  duties  with 
out  leave,  and  with  intent  to  remain  permanently 
absent  therefrom,  prior  to  due  notice  of  the  ac 
ceptance  of  such  resignation,  shall  be  deemed 
and  punished  as  a  deserter. 

Article  11.  No  person  in  the  naval  service 
shall  procure  stores  or  other  articles  or  supplies 
for,  and  dispose  thereof  to,  the  officers  or  enlisted 
men  on  vessels  of  the  navy,  or  at  navy-yards  or 
naval  stations,  for  his  own  account  or  benefit. 

Article  12.  No  person  connected  with  the 
navy  shall,  under  any  pretense,  import  in  a  pub 
lic  vessel  any  article  which  is  liable  to  the  pay 
ment  of  duty. 

Article  13.  Distilled  spirits  shall  be  admitted 
on  board  of  vessels  of  war  only  upon  the  order 
and  under  the  control  of  the  medical  officers  of 
such  vessels,  and  to  be  used  only  for  medical 
purposes. 

Article  14.  Tine  and  imprisonment,  or  such 
other  punishment  as  a  court-martial  may  ad 
judge,  shall  be  inflicted  upon  any  person  in  the 
naval  service  of  the  United  States — 

Who  presents  or  causes  to  be  presented  to  any 
person  in  the  civil,  military,  or  naval  service 
thereof,  for  approval  or  payment,  any  .claim 
against  the  United  States  or  any  officer  thereof, 
knowing  such  claim  to  be  false  or  fraudulent ;  or 

Who  enters  into  any  agreement  or  conspiracy 
to  defraud  the  United  States  by  obtaining,  or 
aiding  others  to  obtain,  the  allowance  or  pay 
ment  of  any  false  or  fraudulent  claim ;  or 

Who,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining,  or  aiding 
others  to  obtain,  the  approval,  allowance,  or  pay 
ment  of  any  claim  against  the  United  States,  or 
against  any  officer  thereof,  makes  or  uses,  or  pro 
cures  or  advises  the  making  or  use  of,  any  writ 
ing  or  other  paper,  knowing  the  same  to  con 
tain  any  false  or  fraudulent  statement ;  or 

Who,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining,  or  aiding 
others  to  obtain,  the  approval,  allowance,  or 
payment  of  any  claim  against  the  United  States 
or  any  officer  thereof,  makes  or  procures  or  ad 
vises  the  making  of  any  oath  to  any  fact,  or  to 
any  writing  or  other  paper,  knowing  such  oath 
to  be  false  ;  or 

Who,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining,  or  aiding 
others  to  obtain,  the  approval,  allowance,  or  pay 
ment  of  any  claim  against  the  United  States  or 
any  officer  thereof,  forges  or  counterfeits,  or 
procures  or  advises  the  forging  or  counterfeiting 
of  any  signature  upon  any  writing  or  other  paper, 
or  uses  or  procures  or  advises  the  use  of  any  such 
signature,  knowing  the  same  to  be  forged  or 
counterfeited ;  or 


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Who,  having  charge,  possession,  custody,  or 
control  of  any  money  or  other  property  of  the 
United  States,  furnished  or  intended  for  the 
naval  service  thereof,  knowingly  delivers,  or 
causes  to  be  delivered,  to  any  person  having  au 
thority  to  receive  the  same,  any  amount  thereof 
less  than  that  for  which  he  receives  a  certificate 
or  receipt ;  or 

Who,  being  authorized  to  make  or  deliver  any 
paper  certifying  the  receipt  of  any  money  or 
other  property  of  the  United  States,  furnished 
or  intended  for  the  naval  service  thereof,  makes 
or  delivers  to  any  person  such  writing,  without 
having  full  knowledge  of  the  truth  of  the  state 
ment  therein  contained,  and  with  intent  to  de 
fraud  the  United  States  ;  or 

Who  steals,  embezzles,  knowingly  and  will 
fully  misappropriates,  applies  to  his  own  use  or 
benefit,  or  wrongfully  and  knowingly  sells  or 
disposes  of  any  ordnance,  arms,  equipments, 
ammunition,  clothing,  subsistence  stores,  money, 
or  other  property  of  the  United  States,  furnished 
or  intended  for  the  military  or  naval  service 
thereof;  or 

Who  knowingly  purchases,  or  receives  in 
pledge  for  any  obligation  or  indebtedness,  from 
any  other  person  who  is  a  part  of,  or  employed  in, 
said  service,  any  ordnance,  arms,  equipments, 
ammunition,  clothing,  subsistence  stores,  or  other 
property  of  the  United  States,  such  other  person 
not  having  lawful  right  to  sell  or  pledge  the 
same ;  or 

Who  executes,  attempts,  or  countenances  any 
other  fraud  against  the  United  States. 

And  if  any  person,  being  guilty  of  any  of  the 
offenses  described  in  this  article  while  in  the 
naval  service,  receives  his  discharge,  or  is  dis 
missed  from  the  service,  he  shall  continue  to  be 
liable  to  be  arrested  and  held  for  trial  and  sen 
tence  by  a  court-martial,  in  the  same  manner 
and  to  the  same  extent  as  if  he  had  not  received 
such  discharge  nor  been  dismissed. 

Article  15.  The  commanding  officer  of  every 
vessel  in  the  navy  entitled  to  or  claiming  an 
award  of  prize-money,  shall,  as  soon  as  may  be 
practicable  after  the  capture,  transmit  to  the 
Navy  Department  a  complete  list  of  the  officers 
and  men  of  his  vessel  entitled  to  share,  stating 
therein  the  quality  of  each  person  rating ;  and 
every  commanding  officer  who  offends  against 
this  article  shall  be  punished  as  a  court-martial 
may  direct. 

Article  16.  No  person  in  the  navy  shall  take 
out  of  a  prize,  or  vessel  seized  as  a  prize,  any 
money,  plate,  goods,  or  any  part  of  her  equip 
ment,  unless  it  be  for  the  better  preservation 
thereof,  or  unless  such  articles  are  absolutely 
needed  for  the  use  of  any  of  the  vessels  or  armed 
forces  of  the  United  States,  before  the  same  are 
adjudged  lawful  prize  by  a  competent  court ;  but 
the  whole,  without  fraud,  concealment,  or  em 
bezzlement,  shall  be  brought  in,  in  order  that 
judgment  may  be  passed  thereon;  and  every 
person  who  offends  against  this  article  shall  be 
punished  as  a  court-martial  may  direct. 

Article  17.  If  any  person  in  the  navy  strips 
off  the  clothes  of,  or  pillages,  or  in  any  manner 
maltreats  any  person  taken  on  board  a  prize,  he 
shall  suffer  such  punishment  as  a  court-martial 
may  adjudge. 

Article  18.  If  any  officer  or  person  in  the 
naval  service  employs  any  of  the  forces  under 


his  command  for  the  purpose  of  returning  any 
fugitive  from  service  or  labor,  he  shall  be  dis 
missed  from  the  service. 

Article  19.  Any  officer  who  knowingly  en 
lists  into  the  naval  service  any  deserter  from  the 
naval  or  military  service  of  the  United  States, 
or  any  insane  or  intoxicated  person,  or  any  minor 
between  the  ages  of  16  and  18  years  without  the 
consent  of  his  parents  or  guardian,  or  any  minor 
under  the  age  of  16  years,  shall  be  dishonorably 
dismissed  from  the  service  of  the  United  States. 

Article  20.  Every  commanding  officer  of  a 
vessel  in  the  navy  shall  obey  the  following  rules : 

1.  Whenever  a  man  enters  on  board,  the  com 
manding  officer  shall  cause  an  accurate  entry  to 
be  made  in  the  ship's  books,  showing  his  name, 
the  date,  place,  and  term  of  his  enlistment,  the 

Cce  or  vessel  from  which  he  was  received  on 
rd,  his  rating,  his  descriptive  list,  his   age, 
place  of   birth,  and  citizenship,  with   such  re 
marks  as  may  be  necessary. 

2.  He  shall,  before   sailing,  transmit   to   the 
Secretary  of  the   Navy  a  complete  list   of  the 
rated  men  under  his  command,  showing  the  par 
ticulars  set  forth  in  rule  one,  and  a  list  of  offi 
cers  and  passengers,  showing  the  date  of  their 
entering.     And  "he  shall  cause  similar  lists  to  be 
made  out  on  the  first  day  of  every  third  month 
and  transmitted  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  as 
opportunities  occur,  accounting  therein  for  any 
casualty  which  may  have  happened  since  the  last 
list. 

3.  He  shall  cause  to  be  accurately  minuted  on 
the  ship's  books  the  names  of  any  persons  dying 
or  deserting,  and  the  times  at  which  such  death 
or  desertion  occurs. 

4.  In  case  of  the  death  of  any  officer,  man, 
or  passenger  on  said   vessel,  he  shall  take  care 
that  the  paymaster  secures  all  the  property  of  the 
deceased,  for  the  benefit  of  his  legal  representa 
tives. 

5.  He  shall  not  receive   on  board   any  man 
transferred  from  any  other  vessel  or  station  to 
him,  unless  such  man  is  furnished  with  an  ac 
count,  signed  by  the  captain  and  paymaster  of 
the  vessel  or  station  from  which  he  came,  speci 
fying  the  date  of  his  entry  on  said  vessel  or  at 
said'station,  the  period  and  term  of  his  service, 
the  sums  paid  him,  the  balance   due  him,  the 
quality  in  which  he  was  rated,  and  his  descrip 
tive  list. 

6.  He  shall,  whenever  officers  or  men  are  sent 
from  his  ship,  for  whatever  cause,  take  care  that 
each  man  is  furnished  with  a  complete  statement 
of  his  account,  specifying  the  date  of  his  enlist 
ment,  the  period  and  term  of  his  service,  and  his 
descriptive  list.     Said  account  shall  be  signed  by 
the  commanding  officer  and  paymaster. 

7.  He  shall  cause  frequent  'inspections  to  be 
made  into  the  condition  of  the  provisions  on  his 
ship,  and  use  every  precaution  for  their  preserva 
tion. 

8.  He  shall  frequently  consult  with  the  sur 
geon  in  regard  to  the  sanitary  condition  of  his 
crew,  and  shall  use  all  proper  means  to  preserve 
their  health.     And  he  shall  cause  a  convenient 
place  to  be  set  apart  for  sick  or  disabled  men,  to 
which  he  shall  have  them  removed,  with  their 
hammocks  and  bedding,  when   the  surgeon  so 
advises,  and  shall  direct  that  some  of  the  crew 
attend  them  and  keep  the  place  clean. 

9.  He  shall   attend   in   person,  or   appoint   a 


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proper  officer  to  attend,  when  his  crew  is  finally 
paid  off,  to  see  that  justice  is  done  to  the  men 
and  to  the  United  States  in  the  settlement  of  the 
accounts. 

10.  He  shall  cause  the  articles  for  the  govern 
ment  of  the  navy  to  be  hung  up  in  some  public 
part  of  the  ship,  and  read  once  a  month  to  his 
ship's  company. 

Every  commanding  officer  who  offends  against 
the  provisions  of  this  article  shall  be  punished  as 
a  court-martial  may  direct. 

Article  21.  When  the  crew  of  any  vessel  of 
the  United  States  are  separated  from  their  vessel 
by  means  of  her  wreck,  loss,  or  destruction,  all 
the  command  and  authority  given  to. the  officers 
of  such  vessel  shall  remain  in  full  force  until 
such  ship's  company  shall  be  regularly  dis 
charged  from  or  ordered  again  into  service,  or 
until  a  court-martial  or  court  of  inquiry  shall  be 
held  to  inquire  into  the  loss  of  said  vessel.  And 
if  any  officer  or  man,  after  such  wreck,  loss,  or 
destruction,  acts  contrary  to  the  discipline  of  the 
navy,  he  shall  be  punished  as  a  court-martial 
may  direct. 

Article  22.  All  offenses  committed  by  persons 
belonging  to  the  navy  which  are  not  specified  in 
the  foregoing  articles  shall  be  punished  as  a 
court-martial  may  direct. 

Article  23.  All  offenses  committed  by  persons 
belonging  to  the  navy  while  on  shore  shall  be 
punished  in  the  same  manner  as  if  they  had  been 
committed  at  sea. 

Article  24.  No  commander  of  a  vessel  shall 
inflict  upon  a  commissioned  or  warrant  officer 
any  other  punishment  than  private  reprimand, 
suspension  from  duty,  arrest,  or  confinement, 
and  such  suspension,  arrest,  or  confinement  shall 
not  continue  longer  than  ten  days,  unless  a  fur 
ther  period  is  necessary  to  bring  the  offender  to 
trial  by  a  court-martial ;  nor  shall  he  inflict,  or 
cause  to  be  inflicted,  upon  any  petty  officer,  or 
person  of  inferior  rating,  or  marine,  for  a  single 
offense,  or  at  any  one  time,  any  other  than  one 
of  the  following  punishments,  namely  : 

1.  Eeduction   of  any   rating    established    by 
himself. 

2.  Confinement,  with  or  without  irons,  single 
or  double,  not  exceeding  ten  days,  unless  further 
confinement  be  necessary,  in  the  case  of  a  pris 
oner  to  be  tried  by  court-martial. 

3.  Solitary  confinement,  on  bread  and  water, 
not  exceeding  five  days. 

4.  Solitary  confinement  not  exceeding  seven 
days. 

5.  Deprivation  of  liberty  on  shore. 

6.  Extra  duties. 

No  other  punishment  shall  be  permitted  on 
board  of  vessels  belonging  to  the  navy,  except 
by  sentence  of  a  general  or  summary  court- 
martial.  All  punishments  inflicted  by  the  com 
mander,  or  by  his  order,  except  reprimands,  shall 
be  fully  entered  upon  the  ship's  log. 

Article  25.  No  officer  who  may  command  by 
accident,  or  in  the  absence  of  the  commanding 
officer,  except  when  such  commanding  officer  is 
absent  for  a  time  by  leave,  shall  inflict  any  other 
punishment  than  confinement. 

Article  26.  Summary  courts-martial  may  be 
ordered  upon  petty  officers  and  persons  of  in 
ferior  ratings  by  the  commander  of  any  vessel, 
or  by  the  commandant  of  any  navy-yard,  naval 
station,  or  marine  barracks  to  which  they  be 


long,  for  the  trial  of  offenses  which  such  officer 
may  deem  deserving  of  greater  punishment  than 
such  commander  or  commandant  is  authorized 
to  inflict,  but  not  sufficient  to  require  trial  by  a 
general  court-martial. 

Article  27.  A  summary  court-martial  shall 
consist  of  three  officers  not  below  the  rank  of 
ensign,  as  members,  and  of  a  recorder.  The 
commander  of  a  ship  may  order  any  officer  under 
his  command  to  act  as  such  recorder. 

Article  28.  Before  proceeding  to  trial  the  mem 
bers  of  a  summary  court-martial  shall  take  the  fol 
lowing  oath  or  affirmation,  which  shall  be  admin 
istered  by  the  recorder:  "I,  A  B,  do  swear  (or 
affirm)  that  I  will  well  and  truly  try,  without 
prejudice  or  partiality,  the  case  now  depending, 
according  to  the  evidence  which  shall  be  adduced, 
the  laws  for  the  government  of  the  navy,  and 
my  own  conscience."  After  which  the  recorder 
of  the  court  shall  take  the  following  oath  or  af 
firmation,  which  shall  be  administered  by  the 
senior  member  of  the  court :  "  I,  A  B,  do  swear 
(or  affirm)  that  I  will  keep  a  true  record  of  the 
evidence  which  shall  be  given  before  this  court 
and  of  the  proceedings  thereof." 

Article  29.  All  testimony  before  a  summary 
court-martial  shall  be  given  orally,  upon  oath 
or  affirmation,  administered  by  the  senior  mem 
ber  of  the  court. 

Article  30.  Summary  courts-martial  may  sen 
tence  petty  officers  and  persons  of  inferior  ratings 
to  any  one  of  the  followingpunishments,  namely : 

1.  Discharge  from  the  service  with  bad-con 
duct  discharge;  but  the  sentence  shall  not  be 
carried  into  effect  in  a  foreign  country  ; 

2.  Solitary  confinement,  not  exceeding  thirty 
days,  in  irons,  single  or  double,  on  bread  and 
water,  or  on  diminished  rations  ; 

3.  Solitary  confinement,   in   irons,   single  or 
double,  not  exceeding  thirty  days  ; 

4.  Solitary  confinement  not  exceeding  thirty 
days ; 

5.  Confinement  not  exceeding  two  months  ; 

6.  Reduction  to  next  inferior  rating  ; 

7.  Deprivation  of  liberty  on  shore  on  foreign 
station ; 

8.  Extra  police  duties,  and  loss  of  pay,  not  to 
exceed  three  months,  may  be  added  to  any  of  the 
above-mentioned  punishments. 

Article  31.  A  summary  court-martial  may 
disrate  any  rated  person  for  incompetency. 

Article  32.  No  sentence  of  a  summary  court- 
martial  shall  be  carried  into  execution  until  the 
proceedings  and  sentence  have  been  approved  by 
the  officer  ordering  the  court  and  by  the  corn- 
man  der-in-chief,  or,  in  his  absence,  by  the  senior 
officer  present.  And  no  sentence  of  such  court 
which  involves  loss  of  pay  shall  be  carried  into 
execution  until  the  proceedings  arid  sentence 
have  been  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy. 

Article  33.  The  officer  ordering  a  summary 
court-martial  shall  have  power  to  remit,  in  part, 
or  altogether,  but  not  to  commute,  the  sentence 
of  the  court.  And  it  shall  be  his  duty  either  to 
remit  any  part  or  the  whole  of  any  sentence  the 
execution  of  which  would,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
surgeon  or  senior  medical  officer  on  board,  given 
in  writing,  produce  serious  injury  to  the  health 
of  the  person  sentenced ;  or  to  submit  the  case 
again,  without  delay,  to  the  same  or  to  another 
summary  court-martial,  which  shall  have  power, 


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upon  the  testimony  already  taken,  to  remit  the 
former  punishment,  and  to  assign  some  other  of 
the  authorized  punishments  in  the  place  thereof. 

Article  34.  The  proceedings  of  summary 
courts-martial  shall  be  conducted  with  as  much 
conciseness  and  precision  as  may  be  consistent 
with  the  ends  of  justice,  and  under  such  forms 
and  rules  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  with  the  approval  of  the  President ; 
and  all  such  proceedings  shall  be  transmitted,  in 
the  usual  mode,  to  the  Navy  Department. 

Article  35.  Any  punishment  which  a  sum 
mary  court-martial  is  authorized  to  inflict  may 
be  inflicted  by  a  general  court-martial. 

Article  36.  No  oflicer  shall  be  dismissed  from 
the  naval  service  except  by  the  order  of  the  Pres 
ident  or  by  sentence  of  a  general  court-martial ; 
and  in  time  of  peace  no  officer  shall  be  dismissed 
except  in  pursuance  of  the  sentence  of  a  general 
court-martial  or  in  mitigation  thereof 

Article  37.  When  any  officer,  dismissed  by  or 
der  of  the  President  since  3d  March,  1865,  makes, 
in  writing,  an  application  for  trial,  setting  forth, 
under  oath,  that  he  has  been  wrongfully  dis 
missed,  the  President  shall,  as  soon  as  the  neces 
sities  of  the  service  may  permit,  convene  a  court- 
martial  to  try  such  officer  on  the  charges  on 
which  he  shall  have  been  dismissed.  And  if 
such  court-martial  shall  not  be  convened  within 
six  months  from  the  presentation  of  such  appli 
cation  for  trial,  or  if  such  court,  being  convened, 
shall  not  award  dismissal  or  death  as  the  punish 
ment  of  such  officer,  the  order  of  dismissal  by 
the  President  shall  be  void. 

Article  38.  General  courts-martial  may  be  con 
vened  by  the  President,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  or  the  commander-in-chief  of  a  fleet  or 
squadron  ;  but  no  commander  of  a  fleet  or  squad 
ron  in  the  waters  of  the  United  States  shall  con 
vene  such  court  without  express  authority  from 
the  President. 

Article  39.  A  general  court-martial  shall  con 
sist  of  not  more  than  thirteen  nor  less  than  five 
commissioned  officers  as  members  ;  and  as  many 
officers,  not  exceeding  thirteen,  as  can  be  con 
vened  without  injury  to  the  service,  shall  be 
summoned  on  every  such  court.  But  in  no  case, 
where  it  can  be  avoided  without  injury  to  the 
service,  shall  more  than  one-half,  exclusive  of 
the  president,  be  junior  to  the  officer  to  be  tried. 
The  senior  officer  shall  always  preside,  and  the 
others  shall  take  place  according  to  their  rank. 

Article  40.  The  president  of  the  general  court- 
martial  shall  administer  the  following  oath  or 
affirmation  to  the  judge-advocate  or  person  offi 
ciating  as  such : 

"  I,  A  B,  do  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  keep 
a  true  record  of  the  evidence  given  to  and  the 
proceedings  of  this  court ;  that  I  will  not  divulge 
or  by  any  means  disclose  the  sentence  of  the 
court  until  it  shall  have  been  approved  by  the 
proper  authority  ;  and  that  I  will  not  at  any  time 
divulge  or  disclose  the  vote  or  opinion  of  any 
particular  member  of  the  court,  unless  required 
so  to  do  before  a  court  of  justice  in  due  course  of 
law." 

This  oath  or  affirmation  being  duly  adminis 
tered,  each  member  of  the  court,  before  proceed 
ing  to  trial,  shall  take  the  following  oath  or  af 
firmation,  which  shall  be  administered  by  the 
judge-advocate  or  person  officiating  as  such  : 

u  I,  A  B,  do  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  truly 


try,  without  prejudice  or  partiality,  the  case  now 
depending,  according  to  the  evidence  which  shall 
come  before  the  court,  the  rules  for  the  govern 
ment  of  the  navy,  and  my  own  conscience  ;  that 
I  will  not  by  any  means  divulge  or  disclose  the 
sentence  of  the  court  until  it  shall  have  been  ap 
proved  by  the  proper  authority  ;  and  that  I  will 
not  at  anytime  divulge  or  disclose  the.  vote  or 
opinion  of  any  particular  member  of  the  court, 
unless  required  so  to  do  before  a  court  of  justice 
in  due  course  of  law." 

Article  41.  An  oath  or  affirmation  in  the  fol 
lowing  form  shall  be  administered  to  all  wit 
nesses,  before  any  court-martial,  by  the  president 
thereof: 

u  You  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  the 
evidence  you  shall  give  in  tne  case  now  before 
this  court  shall  be  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and 
nothing  but  the  truth,  and  that  you  will  state 
everything  within  your  knowledge  in  relation  to 
the  charges  :  so  help  you  God  ;  (or,  '  this  you  do 
under  the  pains  and  penalties  of  perjury.')" 

Article  42.  "Whenever  any  person  refuses  to 
give  his  evidence  or  to  give  it  in  the  manner  pro 
vided  by  these  articles,  or  prevaricates,  or  be 
haves  with  Contempt  to  the  court,  it  shall  be 
lawful  for  the  court  to  imprison  him  for  any  time 
not  exceeding  two  months. 

Article  43.  The  person  accused  shall  be  fur 
nished  with  a  true  copy  of  the  charges,  with  the 
specifications,  at  the  time  he  is  put  under  arrest ; 
and  no  other  charges  than  those  so  furnished 
shall  be  urged  against  him  at  the  trial,  unless  it 
shall  appear  to  the  court  that  intelligence  of  such 
other  charge  had  not  reached  the  officer  ordering 
the  court  when  the  accused  was  put  under  ar 
rest,  or  that  some  witness  material  to  the  support 
of  such  charge  was  at  that  time  absent  and  can 
be  produced  at  the  trial ;  in  which  case  reason 
able  time  shall  be  given  to  the  accused  to  make 
his  defense  against  such  new  charge. 

Article  44.  Every  officer  who  is  arrested  for 
trial  shall  deliver  up  his  sword  to  his  command 
ing  officer,  and  confine  himself  to  the  limits  as 
signed  him,  on  pain  of  dismissal  from  the  ser 
vice. 

Article  45.  "When  the  proceedings  of  any 
general  court-martial  have  commenced,  they 
shall  not  be  suspended  or  delayed  on  account  of 
the  absence  of  any  of  the  members,  provided 
five  or  more  are  assembled  ;  but  the  court  is  en 
joined  to  sit  from  day  to  day,  Sundays  excepted, 
until  sentence  is  given,  unless  temporarily  ad 
journed  by  the  authority  which  convened  it. 

Article  46.  No  member  of  a  general  court- 
martial  shall,  after  the  proceedings  are  begun, 
absent  himself  therefrom,  except  in  case  of  sick 
ness,  or  of  an  order  to  go  on  duty  from  a  superior 
officer,  on  pain  of  being  cashiered. 

Article  47.  Whenever  any  member  of  a  court- 
martial,  from  any  legal  cause,  is  absent  from 
the  court  after  the  commencement  of  a  case,  all 
the  witnesses  who  have  been  examined  during 
his  absence  must,  when  he  is  ready  to  resume  his 
seat,  be  recalled  by  the  court,  and  the  recorded 
testimony  of  each  witness  so  examined  must  be 
read  over  to  him,  and  such  witness  must  ac 
knowledge  the  same  to  be  correct,  and  be  subject 
to  such  further  examination  as  the  said  member 
may  require.  Without  a  compliance  with  this 
rule,  and  an  entry  thereof  upon  the  record,  a 
member  who  shall  have  been  absent  during  the 


ARTICLES 


49 


ARTIFICIAL 


examination  of  a  witness  shall  not  be  allowed  to 
sit  again  in  that  particular  case. 

Article  48.  Whenever  a  court-martial  sen 
tences  an  officer  to  be  suspended,  it  may  suspend 
his  pay  and  emoluments  for  the  whole  or  any 
part  of  the  time  of  his  suspension. 

Article  49.  In  no  case  shall  punishment  by 
flogging,  or  by  branding,  marking,  or  tattooing 
on  the  body  be  adjudged  by  any  court-martial 
or  be  inflicted  upon  any  person  in  the  navy. 

Article  50.  No  person  shall  be  sentenced  by  a 
court-martial  to  suffer  death,  except  by  the  con 
currence  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  present, 
and  in  the  cases  where  such  punishment  is  ex 
pressly  provided  in  these  articles.  All  other 
sentences  may  be  determined  by  a  majority  of 
votes. 

Article  51.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  a  court- 
martial,  in  all  cases  of  conviction,  to  adjudge  a 
punishment  adequate  to  the  nature  of  the  offense ; 
but  the  members  thereof  may  recommend  the 
person  convicted  as  deserving  of  clemency,  and 
state  on  the  record  their  reasons  for  so  doing. 

Article  52.  The  judgment  of  every  court-mar 
tial  shall  be  authenticated  by  the  signature  of  the 
president,  and  of  every  member  who  may  be 
present  when  said  judgment  is  pronounced,  and 
also  of  the  judge-advocate. 

Article  53.  No  sentence  of  a  court-martial, 
extending  to  the  loss  of  life  or  to  the  dismissal 
of  a  commissioned  or  warrant  officer,  shall  be 
carried  into  execution  until  confirmed  by  the 
President.  All  other  sentences  of  general  court- 
martial  may  be  carried  into  execution  on  con 
firmation  of  the  commander  of  the  fleet  or  officer 
ordering  the  court. 

Article  54.  Every  officer  who  is  authorized  to 
convene  a  general  court-martial  shall  have  power, 
on  revision  of  its  proceedings,  to  remit  or  miti 
gate,  but  not  to  commute,  the  sentence  of  any 
such  court  which  he  is  authorized  to  approve  and 
confirm. 

Article  55.  Courts  of  inquiry  may  be  ordered 
by  the  President,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  or 
the  commander  of  a  fleet  or  squadron. 

Article  56.  A  court  of  inquiry  shall  consist  of 
not  more  than  three  commissioned  officers  as 
members,  and  of  a  judge-advocate,  or  person 
officiating  as  such. 

Article  57.  Courts  of  inquiry  shall  have  power 
to  summon  witnesses,  administer  oaths,  and  pun 
ish  contempts  in  the  same  manner  as  courts- 
martial  ;  but  they  shall  only  state  facts,  and 
shall  not  give  their  opinion,  unless  expressly  re 
quired  so  to  do  in  the  order  for  convening. 

Article  58.  The  judge-advocate,  or  person 
officiating  as  such,  shalfadminister  to  the  mem 
bers  the  following  oath  or  affirmation  :  "  You  do 
swear  (or  affirm)  well  and  truly  to  examine  and 
inquire,  according  to  the  evidence,  into  the  mat 
ter  now  before  you,  without  partiality."  After 
which  the  president  shall  administer  to  the  judge- 
advocate,  or  person  officiating  as  such,  the  fol 
lowing  oath  or  affirmation  :  u  You  do  swear  (or 
affirm)  truly  to  record  the  proceedings  of  this 
court,  and  the  evidence  to  be  given  in  the  case 
in  hearing." 

Article  59.  The  party  whose  conduct  shall  be 
the  subject  of  inquiry,  or  his  attorney,  shall  have 
the  right  to  cross-examine  all  the  witnesses. 

Article  60.  The  proceedings  of  courts  of  in 
quiry  shall  be  authenticated  by  the  signature  of 


the  president  of  the  court  and  of  the  judge-ad 
vocate,  and  shall,  in  all  cases  not  capital,  nor  ex 
tending  to  the  dismissal  of  a  commissioned  or 
warrant  officer,  be  evidence  before  a  court-mar 
tial,  provided  oral  testimony  cannot  be  obtained. 

Artificer.  One  who  works  by  hand  in  wood 
or  metal. 

Artificial.     Made  by  art ;  not  genuine. 

ARTIFICIAL  GLOBE.  A  spherical  representa 
tion  of  the  earth  or  the  heavens. 

ARTIFICIAL  SINES,  TANGENTS,  ETC.  The 
logarithms  of  the  natural  sines,  tangents,  etc. 

ARTIFICIAL  NUMBERS.     Logarithms. 

ARTIFICIAL  LINES.  Lines  on  a  sector  or 
scale,  so  contrived  as  to  represent  logarithmic 
signs  and  tangents,  which,  by  the  help  of  the 
line  of  numbers,  solve,  with  tolerable  exactness, 
problems  in  trigonometry  and  navigation. 

ARTIFICIAL  EYE.  An  eye  worked  in  the 
end  of  a  rope.  It  is  neater  but  not  so  strong  as 
a  spliced  eye. 

Artificial  Horizon.  A  reflector  whose  surface 
is  perfectly  horizontal,  used  for  observing  alti 
tudes.  Artificial  horizons  are  of  two  kinds, — 
those  for  use  on  shore,  and  those  for  use  on  board 
ship. 

The  most  usual  form  of  the  shore  artificial 
horizon  is  a  rectangular  trough  of  quicksilver  or 
other  fluid.  Quicksilver  is  the  fluid  most  conve 
nient  and  the  best  adapted  for  obtaining  a  surface 
which  shall  quickly  subside  after  being  disturbed. 
No  altitude  can  be  observed  which  is  greater 
than  half  the  range  of  the  instrument ;  thus, 
with  a  sextant  no  altitude  above  60°  can  be  ob 
served.  For  altitudes  less  than  15°  the  observa 
tion  is  generally  impracticable.  One  advantage 
of  the  artificial  horizon  is,  that  when  the  angle 
shown  by  the  instrument  is  halved  to  obtain  the 
angle  of  elevation,  all  errors  of  observation  are 
halved  at  the  same  time.  There  is  no  correction 
for  "dip."  The  instrument  used  for  observing 
is  sometimes  fixed  upon  a  small  pillar.  In  this 
artificial  horizon  an  essential  condition  is  the 
parallelism  of  the  faces  of  plate-glass  forming 
the  roof.  The  effects  of  refraction  may  be  prac 
tically  eliminated  by  these  plates  being  made 
circular  disks  which  admit  of  being  turned  in 
their  own  plane.  One  set  of  observations  hav 
ing  been  taken,  the  plates  are  turned  through 
180°  and  a  new  set  taken,  the  two  being  used  in 
combination ;  or  with  a  common  roof  the  error 
may  be  practically  eliminated  by  reversing  it.  A 
small  mirror  of  polished  metal  or  of  darkened 
plate-glass  is  sometimes  used  as  an  artificial 
horizon,  its  horizontally  being  ascertained  by 
means  of  a  spirit-level  placed  upon  it,  and  the 
adjustment  effected  by  means  of  screws  which 
form  its  stand.  Such  an  instrument,  though 
convenient  and  portable,  does  not  give  satis 
factory  results. 

At  sea  the  celestial  bodies  are  sometimes  dis 
tinctly  visible  when  the  horizon  is  enveloped  in 
mist ;  the  sea-horizon  is  often  disturbed  by  haze 
or  fog,  and  by  moonlight  is  often  uncertain. 
Hence  the  attempts  to  invent  an  artificial  horizon 
adapted  for  use  on  board  ship.  Mr.  Serson  sug 
gested  to  apply  the  principle  upon  which  a  top, 
when  spinning,  tends  to  preserve  a  vertical 
position.  A  pivot  carrying  a  mirror  thus  ro 
tating  would  theoretically  give  the  horizontal 
reflector  required  ;  but  it  failed  in  practice.  Ad 
miral  Beechey's  contrivance  is  more  successful. 


ARTILLERY 


50 


ASTRONOMY 


The  telescope  of  the  sextant  is  fitted  with  a  bal 
ance  carrying  a  glass  vane,  one  half  of  which  is 
colored  blue  to  represent  the  sea-horizon,  and  to 
which  the  celestial  object  is  brought  down.  The 
amount  of  oscillation  above  and  below  the  level 
is  indicated  by  divisions  on  the  glass,  the  values 
of  which  are  determined  by  the  maker.  Other 
constructions,  where  the  horizon  is  attached  to 
the  sextant,  have  been  tried  with  more  or  less 
success. 

Artillery.  Formerly  synonymous  with  arch 
ery,  but  now  comprehends  everything  relating 
to  guns  and  to  the  service  of  guns. 

Arx.     A  fort  or  castle. 

Ascii.  The  inhabitants  of  the  torrid  zone, 
who,  being  twice  a  year  under  a  vertical  sun, 
have  no  shadow. 

Ashes.  The  earthy  part  of  combustible  sub 
stances  remaining  after  combustion. 

ASH-PIT.  The  space  underneath  the  grate- 
bars. 

ASH-CHUTE.  A  receptacle  into  which  ashes 
are  dumped  to  be  conve}Ted  overboard. 

ASH-WHIP.  A  whip  for  hoisting  ashes  out  of 
the  fire-room. 

Ashlar.  Blocks  of  stone  masonry  fronting 
docks  and  piers. 

Ashore.  On  land, — opposed  to  aboard ;  when 
applied  to  a  ship,  means  that  she  is  aground. 

Asia.     See  CONTINENTS. 

Asiento.  A  contract  between  the  king  of 
Spain  and  other  powers,  for  furnishing  the  Span 
ish  dominions  in  America  with  negro  slaves.  It 
began  in  1689,  and  was  vested  in  the  South  Sea 
Company  in  1713.  By  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  it 
was  transferred  to  the  English,  who  were  to  fur 
nish  4800  negroes  annually  to  Spanish  America. 
This  contract  was  given  up  to  Spain  at  the  peace 
in  1748. 

Askew.     Awry ;  aslant. 

Aslant.     Obliquely. 

SAILING  ASLANT.     Beating  to  windward. 

Asleep.  A  sail  filled  with  just  enough  wind 
for  swelling  or  bellying  out  is  said  to  be  asleep. 

Aspect.  The  general  appearance  of  the  land 
from  seaward. 

Aspic.  An  ancient  12-pounder  about  11  feet 
long. 

Aspinwall.  A  seaport  of  the  United  States 
of  Columbia,  on  the  Atlantic  side  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama.  The  harbor  has  a  depth  of  water 
sufficient  for  the  largest  ships,  and  is  very  spa 
cious.  Pop.  2500. 

Aspirant  de  Marine.     (Fr.)     Midshipman. 

Assail.  To  attack  with  violence  or  in  a  hos 
tile  manner. 

Assault.  A  hostile  attack.  An  effort  to  gain 
possession  of  a  fortification  by  main  force. 

Assegai.  A  spear,  or  javelin  used  by  the 
Zulus. 

Asseguay.     A  dagger  used  in  the  Levant. 

Assembly.  A  beat  of  the  drum  or  call  on  the 
bugle,  as  a  signal  to  troops  to  assemble. 

Assilag.  A  name  given  in  the  Hebrides  to  a 
small  bird  with  a  black  bill.  The  stormy  petrel. 

Assistant.  See  SURGEON,  PAYMASTER,  EN 
GINEER. 

Assurance.  Insurance.  A  con-tract  to  pay 
a  certain  sum  on  the  occasion  of  a  certain  event ; 
as,  loss  or  death. 

Assurgent.  A  heraldic  term  for  a  man  or 
beast  rising  out  of  the  sea. 


A-starboard.  The  situation  of  the  helm  when 
the  tiller  is  borne  over  to  the  starboard  side  of 
the  ship. 

HARD  A-STARBOARD.  The  order  to  put  the 
helm  over  to  the  extreme  limit. 

Astatic  Needle.     See  NEEDLE. 

A-stay.  The  anchor  is  said  to  be  a-stay  when 
the  cable  forms  an  acute  angle  with  the  surface 
of  the  water.  A  long  stay  signifies  that  the  cable 
forms  a  line  parallel  with  the  main-stay,  and  a 
short  stay  means  that  it  is  parallel  with  the  fore- 
stay. 

Asteria.  A  genus  of  radiated  marine  ani 
mals  ;  the  star-fish. 

Asterism.     A  constellation  ;  a  group  of  stars. 

Astern.  Any  distance  behind,  a  vessel  in  the 
direction  of  the  stern. 

To  DROP  ASTERN.     To  be  left  behind. 

To  BE  ASTERN  OF  THE  RECKONING.  To  be 
behind  the  position  determined  by  logging. 

Asteioid.  The  name  which  Herschel  proposed 
to  give  the  minor  planets  which  have  been  dis 
covered  between  the  orbits  of  Mars  and  Jupiter. 
The  first  one  was  discovered  in  1801,  but  since 
that  time  over  80  have  been  added  to  the  number. 
The  largest  one  is  but  300  miles  in  diameter. 
They  closely  resemble  small  stars,  and  can  only 
be  distinguished  from  them  by  their  motion. 

Astragal.     Mouldings  on  old  cannon. 

Astral.     Relating  to  the  stars. 

Astrolabe.     The  armillary  sphere. 

A  sea-astrolabe  is  a  brass  ring  with  a  mov 
able  arm,  for  observing  altitudes  of  stars  and 
planets. 

Astrology.  Formerly  synonymous  with  as 
tronomy  ;  subsequently,  the  art  of  foretelling 
events  by  the  positions  and  aspects  of  the  stars. 
Judicial  astrology  was  invented  by  the  Chal- 
dseans,  and  hence  was  transmitted  to  the  Egyp 
tians,  Greeks,  and  Romans.  It  was  much  in 
vogue  in  France  in  the  time  of  Catherine  de 
Medicis,  1533.  The  early  history  of  astrology 
in  England  is  very  little  known  :  Bede  was  ad 
dicted  to  it,  700 ;  and  so  was  Roger  Bacon,  1260. 
Cecil,  Lord  Burlcigh,  calculated  the  nativity  of 
Elizabeth ;  and  she,  and  all  the  European  princes, 
were  the  humble  servants  of  Dee,  the  astrologer 
and  conjurer.  But  the  period  of  the  Stuarts  was 
the  acme  of  astrology  in  England.  Sir  Walter 
Scott  has  made  ample  use  of  Sir  William  Lilly, 
the  noted  astrologer,  in  his  tales  of  this  period  ; 
and  it  is  certain  that  Lilly  was  consulted  by 
Charles  I.  respecting  his  projected  escape  from 
Carisbrook  Castle  in"  1647. 

Astronomical  Clock.  A  pendulum  clock 
regulated  to  sidereal  time.  The  error  is  its  dif 
ference  from  sidereal  time,  and  the  rate  is  the 
daily  change  of  error. 

The  Astronomical  Day  begins  at  noon,  and  the 
hours  are  numbered  from  one  to  twenty-four. 

Astronomicals.     Sexagesimal  fractions. 

Astronomy.  (Gr.  aster,  a  star,  any  luminary 
body;  nomos,  a  law.)  The  science  which  treats 
of  the  heavenly  bodies.  It  is  generally  divided 
into  Spherical  Astronomy,  which  treats  of  the 
appearances,  magnitudes,  motions,  and  distances 
of  the  heavenly  bodies  ;  and  Physical  Astronomy , 
which  applies  the  principles  of  mechanics  to  ex 
plain  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies  and 
the  laws  by  which  they  are  governed.  That 
portion  of  spherical  astronomy  which  is  applied 
to  purposes  of  navigation  is  called  Nautical 


ASTRONOMY 


51 


ASYLUM 


Astronomy.  See  SUN,  PLANETS,  ASTEROID, 
STARS,  COMETS,  ECLIPSES,  etc. 

The  earliest  astronomical  observations  were 
made  at  Babylon,  it  is  said,  about  2234  B.C.  The 
study  was  much  advanced  in  Chaldaea  under 
Nabonassar ;  was  known  to  the  Chinese  about 
1100  B.C.,  some  say  centuries  before. 

Lunar  eclipses  observed  at  Babylon,  and  re 
corded  by  Ptolemy,  about 720  B.C. 

Spherical  form  of  the  earth  and  the  true  cause 
of  lunar  eclipses  taught  by  Thales,  about  600  B.C. 

Further  discoveries  by  Pythagoras,  who  taught 
the  doctrine  of  celestial  motions  and  believed 
in  the  plurality  of  habitable  worlds,  died  about 
470  B.C. 

Meton  introduces   the  lunar-solar  cycle,  433 

B.C. 

Treatises  of  Aristotle  "  concerning  the  heav 
ens,"  and  of  Autolycus  "on  the  motion  of  the 
sphere"  (earliest  extant  works  on  astronomy), 
about  350  B.C. 

Aratus  writes  a  poem  on  astronomy  about  281 
B.C. 

Archimedes  observes  solstices,  etc.,  about  212 

B.C. 

Hipparchus,  greatest  of  Greek  astronomers, 
determines  mean  motion  of  sun  and  moon ;  dis 
covers  precession  of  equinoxes,  etc.,  about  160-125 
B.C. 

The  precession  of  the  equinoxes  confirmed,  and 
the  places  and  distances  of  the  planets  discovered 
by  Ptolemy,  139-161  A.D. 

Astronomy  and  geography  cultivated  by  the 
Arabs  about  760  A.D.  ;  brought  into  Europe  about 
1200  A.D. 

Clocks  first  used  in  astronomy  about  1500  A.D. 

True  doctrine  of  the  motions  of  the  planetary 
bodies  revived  by  Copernicus,  founder  of  modern 
astronomy;  his  "Revolution  of  the  Heavenly 
Bodies"  published  1543  A.D. 

Astronomy  advanced  by  Tycho  Brahe,  who  yet 
adheres  to  the  Ptolemaic  system,  about  1582  A.D. 

True  laws  of  the  planetary  motions  announced 
by  Kepler  ;  1st  and  2d,  1609  A.D  ;  3d,  1618  A.D. 

Galileo  constructs  a  telescope,  1609 ;  and  dis 
covers  Jupiter's  satellites,  etc.,  8th  January, 
1610  A.D. 

Various  forms  of  telescopes  and  other  instru 
ments  used  in  astronomy  invented,  1608-40  A.D. 

Cartesian  system  published  by  Des  Cartes, 
1637  A.D. 

The  transit  of  Venus  over  the  sun's  disk  first 
observed  by  Horrocks,  24th  November,  1639  A.D 

Cassini  draws  his  meridian  line  after  Dante, 
1655  A.D. 

The  aberration  of  the  light  of  the  fixed  stars 
discovered  by  Horrebow,  1659  A.D. 

Huyghens  completes  the  discovery  of  Saturn's 
ring,  1654  A.D. 

Gregory  invents  a  reflecting  telescope,  1663  A.D. 

Charts  of  the  moon  constructed  by  Scheiner, 
Langrenus,  Hevelius,  Riccioli,  etc.,  about  1670 

A.D. 

Discoveries  of  Romer  on  the  velocity  of  light, 
and  his  observation  of  Jupiter's  satellites,  1675 

A.D. 

Motion  of  the  sun  round  its  own  axis  proved 
by  Halley,  1676  A.D. 

Newton's  "  Principia"  published,  and  the  sys 
tem  as  now  taught  demonstrated,  1687  A.D. 

Catalogue  of  the  stars  made  by  Flamsteed, 
1688  A.D. 


Cassini's  chart  of  the  full  moon  executed,  1692 
A.D. 

Satellites  of  Saturn,  etc.,  discovered  by  Cassini, 
1701  A.D. 

Halley  predicts  the  return  of  the  comet  (of 
1759),  1705  A.D. 

Flarnsteed's  "  Historia  Ccelestis"  published, 
1725  A.D. 

Aberration  of  the  light  of  the  stars  discovered 
and  explained  by  Dr.  Bradley,  1727  A.D. 

John  Harrison  produces  chronometers  for  de 
termining  the  longitude,  1735  etseq.,  and  obtains 
the  reward,  1764  A.D. 

Celestial  inequalities  found  by  La  Grange,  1780 

A.D. 

Uranus  and  satellites  discovered  by  Herschel, 
13th  March,  1781  A.D. 

"  Mecanique  celeste,"  by  La  Place,  published 
1796  A.D. 

Beer  and  Madler's  map  of  the  moon  published, 
1834  A.D. 

Lord  Rosse's  telescope  constructed,  1828-45  A.D. 

The  planet  Neptune  discovered,  23d  Septem 
ber,  1846  A.D. 

Bond  photographs  the  moon,  1851  A.D. 

Hansen's  table  of  the  moon  published  at  ex 
pense  of  the  British  government,  1857  A.D. 

Spectrum  analysis  applied  in  astronomy,  1861 

A.D. 

Astrum,  or  Astron.  Sirius,  the  Dog-star.  A 
cluster  of  stars. 

Aswim.     Afloat. 

Asylum.     A  place  of  refuge. 

Asylum,  Naval,  of  the  United  States.  This 
important  and  interesting  institution  has  been  in 
existence  about  half  a  century,  and  is  situated 
upon  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  within  the 
limits  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  in  the  old 
district  of  Passyunk. 

The  property  upon  which  the  institution  is 
situated  comprises  an  irregular  plat  of  about  23 
acres,  bounded  by  the  Gray's  Ferry  Road,  Bain- 
bridge  Street,  Southerland  Avenue  (running 
parallel  with  the  Schuylkill  River),  and  a  wall 
running  thence  eastward  to  meet  the  Gray's 
Ferry  Road  again. 

Originally  a  part  of  a  tract  of  150  acres,  ex 
tending  from  the  Schuylkill  to  Long  Lane,  it 
was,  long  previous  to  the  Revolution,  the  site  of 
a  handsome  country-seat,  belonging  to  the  Pem- 
berton  family,  it  having  been  purchased  from 
the  Penns  in'l735. 

The  place,  which  was  known  as  "  Plantation," 
was  then  quite  remote  from  the  built-up  parts  of 
the  town,  and,  in  spite  of  its  name,  appears  never 
to  have  been  a  farm,  but  to  have  been  taken  up 
with  lawns,  shrubberies,  and  gardens.  The  house 
was  of  brick  ;  large,  square,  roomy,  and  comfort 
able.  This  mansion  was  afterwards,  and  previ 
ous  to  the  erection  of  the  present  large  building, 
the  naval  asylum  and  hospital.  Two  brick  tene 
ment  or  servants'  houses  stood  to  the  north  of  the 
mansion,  and  were  also  used  until  superseded  by 
the  present  building.  "When  demolished,  their 
debris  was  used  by  Commodore  Biddle  to  metal 
the  roads  and  walks  which  now  exist. 

"Plantation"  was  a  favorite  residence  for 
some  of  the  British  officers  during  their  occupa 
tion  of  Philadelphia,  and  there  is  frequent  men 
tion  of  it  in  contemporary  journals  and  corre 
spondence.  Soldiers  were  flogged,  and  one  or 
two  hung  for  depredations  upon  the  gardens  and 


ASYLUM 


ASYLUM 


smoke-houses,  and  Mrs.  Pemberton,  whose  hus 
band  was  absent,  extorted  an  ample  apology 
from  a  certain  Lord  Murray,  who  had  treated 
the  tenants  with  "barbarious  and  unbecoming 
behavior,  very  unworthy  of  a  British  nobleman 
and  officer,  after  being  previously  shown  General 
Howe's  protection  posted  up  in  the  house."  For 
some  time  previous  to  the  evacuation  the  house 
was  occupied  by  General  Pattison,  the  com 
mander  of  the  Koyal  Artillery. 

From  the  Pembertons  the  place  passed  to  the 
Abbots,  and  was  purchased  from  that  family  by 
the  government. 

On  May  26,  1826,  Surgeon  Thomas  Harris,  of 
the  navy,  was  authorized  by  the  Hon.  Samuel 
L.  Southard,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  to  purchase 
"  the  Abbot  lot,  of  about  23  acres,  for  $16,000." 
From  the  accounts  it  appears  that  $17,000  was 
ultimately  paid,  however, — a  very  small  sum 
compared  with  the  value  of  the  land  at  this  day. 

As  soon  as  it  was  established  that  we  were  to 
have  a  permanent  naval  force,  it  became  neces 
sary  to  make  provision  for  the  sick,  wounded, 
and  disabled.  In  1798  an  act  of  Congress  pro 
vided  that  20  cents  a  month  should  be  deducted 
from  the  pay  of  all  seamen  of  the  merchant 
marine  for  the  relief  of  the  sick  and  disabled, 
the  money  to  be  in  charge  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury.  And  in  the  next  year — 1799 — its  bene 
fits  were  extended  to  the  "officers,  seamen,  and 
marines  of  the  navy,  who  were  to  receive  the 
same  relief  as  the  sick  and  disabled  seamen  of  the 
merchant  service." 

Under  the  working  of  this  law  naval  seamen 
were  sent  to  civil  hospitals,  where  their  officers 
lost  control  of  them,  and  they  disappeared.  Nor 
did  it  seem  proper  that  officers,  seamen,  and 
marines  of  a  military  service  should,  as  an  after 
thought,  be  foisted  upon  the  Treasury  Depart 
ment.  It  was  evidently  necessary  for  the  navy 
to  have  a  hospital  department  of  its  own,  in 
charge  of  its  own  medical  officers,  who,  from 
being  identified  with  the  service,  could  sympa 
thize  with  and  understand  the  virtues  and  fail 
ings  of  the  seamen.  Accordingly,  in  1810,  an 
act  of  Congress  appointed  the  Secretaries  of  War, 
the  Navy,  and  the  Treasury  a  "  Board  of  Com 
missioners  of  Naval  Hospitals,"  and  the  fund 
derived  from  monthly  assessments  upon  all  per 
sons  in  the  naval  service  was  turned  over  to  them, 
to  constitute  a  "Naval  Hospital  Fund,"  and 
$50,000  from  the  unexpended  balance  of  the  "Ma 
rine  Hospital  Fund"  was  placed  by  the  same  act 
in  their  hands,  this  being  the  estimated  share  of 
the  amount  which  had  accrued  since  the  acts  of 
1798-99. 

From  this  act  of  1810  dates  the  origin  of  the 
Naval  Asylum,  as  well  as  of  all  the  rest  of  our 
naval  hospitals. 

Mr.  Paul  Hamilton,  then  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  House  Committee 
on  the  Naval  Establishment  warmly  supporting 
naval  hospitals  as  places  of  relief  and  main 
tenance,  not  only  for  the  sick  of  the  service,  but 
for  the  disabled  and  infirm  who  should  prefer  it 
to  a  pension.  He  even  recommended  that  the 
widows  and  children  of  seamen  killed  in  action 
should  be  supported  in  such  institutions,  the 
boys  to  be  brought  up  for  the  naval  service.  He 
also  recommends  that  the  midshipmen  should  be 
sent  to  these  hospitals  for  a  period  of  instruction 
in  navigation  and  general  learning. 


On  February  26,  1811,  the  commissioners  of 
naval  hospitals  were  authorized  to  acquire  sites, 
and  to  buy  or  build  hospitals,  and  this  same  act 
requires  one  of  these  establishments  to  provide 
a  permanent  "asylum"  for  "  decrepid  and  dis 
abled  naval  officers,  seamen,  and  marines." 

"Asylum"  is  thus  used  in  the  first  law  upon 
the  subject.  It  seems  an  unfortunate  term,  al 
though  truly  expressing  the  intent  of  the  charity. 

In  the  year  1826,  as  has  been  said,  Dr.  Harris 
bought  the  asylum  property,  and  the  hospital  at 
the  navy-yard,  on  the  Delaware,  was  abandoned, 
and  the  Pemberton  mansion  used  instead  ;  and 
continued  in  use  until  18;?3,  when  the  present 
asylum  building,  was  sufficiently  finished  for 
occupation. 

In  the  records  of  the  hospital  from  1826  to 
1833  appear  the  names,  as  patients,  of  Farra- 
gut,  Bainbridge,  Twiggs,  Hull,  Levy,  Izard, 
Newell,  Ogden,  Howard,  P.  Voorhees,  Engle, 
Mercer,  and  other  well-known  officers. 

The  government  selected  the  Philadelphia 
Hospital  as  the  one  which  was  to  be  the  "asy 
lum"  directed  by  the  act  of  1811  ;  and  from  the 
correspondence,  it  is  clear  that  Dr.  Harris  is  re 
sponsible  for  the  selection  of  the  site  upon  the 
Gray's  Ferry  Koad,  it  being  already  in  possession 
and  occupied  for  hospital  purposes.  He  was  de 
tailed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  superin 
tend  the  construction,  receiving  a  certain  sum, 
over  and  above  his  pay,  therefor.  Mr.  Strick 
land,  the  architect,  was  associated  with  him  in 
the  superintendence. 

In  1832  the  asylum  building  was  under  roof; 
and  up  to  this  time  the  expense  had  been  wholly 
borne  by  the  "Naval  Hospital  Fund,"  which 
had  become  so  drained  that,  in  July  of  that  year, 
a  bill  passed  Congress  appropriating  $27,300  for 
"  completing  the  navy  asylum  at  Philadelphia," 
and  $6600  for  "  fixtures,  furniture,  and  appara 
tus."  During  the  time  the  asylum  was  being 
built  the  naval  hospitals  at  Chelsea,  Brooklyn, 
Norfolk,  and  Pensacola  were  going  up,  under 
regular  annual  appropriations. 

In  this  same  year — 1832 — there  was  a  transfer, 
by  act  of  Congress,  of  all  powers  of  commissioners 
of  hpspitals  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  They 
were  directed  to  turn  over  to  him  all  cash  and  evi 
dences  of  value  previously  held  by  them  jointly 
for  "the  payment  of  navy  and  privateer  pen 
sions,  and  for  expenditures  on  account  of  naval 
hospitals."  The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  wus 
henceforth  to  keep  this  fund  as  sole  commissioner, 
reporting  annually  to  Congress,  as  he  does  to 
this  day. 

The  asylum  building,  though  by  no  means 
completed  internally,  was  occupied  toward  the 
close  of  1833.  From  that  time  until  1842  an 
aggregate  of  $93,000  was  appropriated  for  the 
building,  grounds,  etc. 

According  to  the  report  of  the  architect,  the 
building  cost  $195,000,  and  adding  the  cost  of 
the  land  brings  the  total  to  $212,600,  of  which 
four-ninths  came  from  appropriations,  and  the 
rest  from  the  hospital  fund. 

The  building  faces  nearly  east,  and  is  con 
structed  of  a  grayish-white  marble,  with  a  gran 
ite  basement.  It  is  380  feet  in  length,  and  con 
sists  of  a  central  building,  with  a  high,  broad 
flight  of  marble  steps,  and  imposing  abutments, 
and  a  marble  colonnade  and  pediment,  in  the 
bastard  classic  style,  which  was  the  fashion  at 


ASYLUM 


53 


ATLAS 


the  period  of  its  erection,  and  which  has  fastened 
upon  the  country  numbers  of  solid  and  costly 
buildings,  utterly  unsuited  to  our  climate,  and 
unsightly  from  lack  of  fitness. 

The  wings  are  symmetrical,  and  terminate  in 
pavilions,  or  transverse  buildings  at  each  end. 
These  wings  are  supplied  with  broad  covered 
verandas  on  each  of  the  two  main  floors,  which 
are  admirably  adapted  to  their  purpose,  and,  of 
course,  entirely  out  of  keeping  with  the  classic 
central  structure. 

A  fine  attic  and  basement  complete  the  build 
ing,  which  is  most  thoroughly  and  substantially 
constructed  in  every  part.  The  marble  stair 
cases  of  the  interior  are  especially  noticeable 
from  their  ingenious  construction  and  economy 
of  space.  The  ceilings  of  two  floors  are  vaulted 
in  solid  masonry,  and  there  is  a  remarkably  fine, 
lofty  domed  apartment,  used  as  a  muster-room 
and  chapel. 

The  beneficiaries,  as  they  are  called,  have  each 
a  small  room,  and  the  use  of  several  reading- 
and  smoking-rooms  in  the  pavilions,  beside  which 
there  are  quarters  for  officers  and  employes. 

When  the  asylum  was  first  occupied  four  bene 
ficiaries  were  transferred  to  it  from  the  old  build 
ing,  as  were  the  sick  of  the  station. 

The  whole  of  the  interior  was  not  finished 
until  1848,  when  the  increase  in  the  number  of 
inmates  rendered  it  necessary.  For  many  years 
— from  1840  to  the  close  of  the  civil  war — the 
second  floor  of  the  south  wing  and  the  rooms  in 
the  pavilion  were  used  as  the  hospital  proper. 
During  the  war  much  of  the  attic  was  also  so 
used.  For  many  years  the  beneficiaries  were 
supported  in  the  same  way,  and  from  the  same 
fund  as  patients  in  hospital.  In  1842  their  num 
ber  was  42,  and  in  1858  there  were  considerably 
over  100 ;  and  in  the  latter  year  the  hospital 
fund  was  relieved  by  an  appropriation  "  for  sup 
port  of  beneficiaries,  $26,392;"  and  ever  since  a 
separate  and  specific  annual  appropriation  has 
been  made  for  the  same  purpose.  The  annual 
appropriation,  from  the  naval  pension  fund,  is 
now  about  $60,000. 

The  first  "  Governor"  of  the  Naval  Asylum 
was  Commodore  James  Biddle,  who  was  ap 
pointed  by  Secretary  J.  K.  Paulding,  upon  com 
plaint  and  scandal  resulting  from  the  adminis 
tration  of  an  old  lieutenant  who  had  charge  of 
the  beneficiaries  as  "  superintendent."  The  Sec 
retary  proposed  to  the  commodore  to  take  charge, 
with  the  title  of  "  Governor,"  as  adding  dignity 
to  the  position.  His  appointment  was  dated 
August  1,  1838,  and  he  remained  until  1842, 
when  he  was  relieved  upon  his  own  application. 
During  his  service  the  classes  of  midshipmen 
preparing  for  examination  were  placed  at  the 
asylum,  with  one  or  two  professors  to  instruct 
them, — a  partial  fulfillment  of  Mr.  Paul  Hamil 
ton's  idea.  They  at  first  had  the  basement 
rooms  at  the  north  end,  which  were  truly  re 
ported  as  being  "damp,  cold,  cheerless,  and  un 
healthy."  Afterwards,  through  the  energetic 
remonstrances  of  Lieutenant  Foote,  they  were 
placed  on  the  floor  above.  Here  they  remained 
until  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis  was 
founded,  in  1845. 

About  1842,  during  the  administration  of  Sec 
retary  Upshur,  a  division  of  the  building  into 
two  parts  was  effected  by  a  lath-and-plaster  par 
tition,  one  part  being  hospital  and  the  other 


asylum.  The  partition  ran  through  the  centre 
of  the  hall,  and  the  wings  being  precisely  alike, 
afforded  equal  conveniences.  This  arrangement 
did  not  continue  long,  however. 

During  the  late  war  the  necessity  for  a  separate 
naval  hospital  became  evident,  and  a  large  and 
commodious  building  for  that  purpose  was  erected 
upon  a  portion  of  the  grounds  nearer  the  river. 

During  the  early  years  of  the  asylum  those 
who  died  there  were  buried  to  the  north  of  the 
asylum,  but  the  cutting  of  a  street  led  to  the 
bodies  being  removed  to  ground  to  the  west. 
When  the  hospital  was  built  it  was  found  neces 
sary  to  remove  the  bodies  again,  and  they  were 
transferred  to  a  lot  belonging  to  the  government 
in  Mount  Moriah  Cemetery,  where  all  inter 
ments  now  take  place. 

At  the  Naval  Asylum  hundreds  of  old  men 
who  have  deserved  well  of  their  country  have 
passed  their  declining  years  in  tranquillity  and 
comfort,  not  unfrequently  attaining  a  great  age. 
The  present  number  of  beneficiaries  ranges  from 
130  to  150,  and  they  die  about  as  fast  as  new 
ones  come  in.  Under  the  regulations  no  one  is 
eligible  for  the  asylum  who  has  not  passed  at 
least  twenty  years  in  the  naval  service,  but  ex 
ceptions  are  made  in  cases  of  serious  disability 
in  the  line  of  duty. 

Upon  entering  the  asylum  a  beneficiary  has 
to  give  up  to  the  hospital  fund  any  pension  of 
which  he  may  be  in  receipt.  Each  one  has  a 
separate  room,  and  is  furnished  with  three  whole 
some  meals  a  day,  a  good  allowance  of  clothing, 
free  washing,  and  one  dollar  and  one  pound  and 
a  half  of  tobacco  per  month. 

There  is  a  good  library  for  the  use  of  the  in 
mates,  and  pleasant  reading-  and  smoking- 
rooms,  with  open  fires,  and  tables  covered  with 
newspapers  and  periodicals.  No  restraint  is 
placed  upon  their  movements,  within  reasonable 
hours,  so  long  as  their  conduct  is  marked  with 
propriety,  and  the  usual  punishment  for  miscon 
duct  is  confinement  to  the  grounds  for  a  few 
days. — E.  Shippen. 

Asymtote.  A  line  which  continually  ap 
proaches  a  curve  but  never  meets  it. 

Atabal.    A  Moorish  drum. 

Atagan.    See  YATAGAN. 

A-taunt-o,  or  All  A-taunt-o.  Every  mast 
an-end  and  fully  rigged. 

Ategar.     An  old  English  hand-dart. 

Atherine.  A  silvery  fish  used  in  the  manu 
facture  of  artificial  pearls.  It  is  also  called  ar 
gentine. 

Athwart.  Transversely;  at  right  angles  to 
the  keel ;  across  the  line  of  the  ship's  course. 

ATHWAKT  HAWSE.  A  vessel,  boat,  or  float 
ing  timber  drifted  across  the  stem. 

ATHWART-SHIPS.  From  side  to  side ;  in  oppo 
sition  to  fore-and-aft. 

ATHWART  THE  TIDE.     Across  the  tide. 

Atlantic.  The  ocean  which  separates  the  New 
World  from  Europe  and  Africa,  so  named  from 
the  Atlas  Mountains,  in  Africa.  See  OCEANS. 

Atlantides.  The  daughter  of  Atlas  ;  a  name 
of  the  Pleiades. 

Atlas.  A  book  of  maps  or  charts,  so  called 
from  the  character  of  that  name  in  ancient  myth 
ology,  represented  as  carrying  the  world  on  his 
back.  The  name  was  first  applied  to  maps  by 
Mercator,  the  famous  geographer,  in  the  16th 
century. 


ATMOSPHERE 


54 


AURORA 


Atmosphere  is  the  name  applied  to  the  gaseous 
fluid  which  surrounds  the  earth.  It  exhibits,  in 
common  with  all  fluid  bodies,  the  usual  charac 
teristics  of  hydrostatic  pressure,  but  its  internal 
condition  differs  from  that  of  a  liquid,  inasmuch 
as  its  particles  repel  each  other,  and  can  only  be 
held  in  proximity  by  external  force.  From  this 
circumstance  it  follows  that  the  volume  of  any 
portion  of  air  varies  much  more  under  the  influ 
ence  of  external  pressure  than  that  of  an  equal 
volume  of  water  ;  hence  the  stratum  of  air  near 
est  the  earth  is  denser  than  strata  in  the  upper 
regions,  where,  from  their  being  subjected  to 
the  weight  of  a  smaller  mass  of  superincumbent 
air,  the  repulsive  force  of  the  particles  has  freer 
play. 

Chemical  Composition  of  the  Atmosphere. 
Volumes.        Grains. 

Nitrogen 79.02  76.84 

Oxygen 20.94  23.10 

Carbonic  acid 0.04  0.06 

100.00  100.00 

Besides  the  substances  just  named  other  gas 
eous  matters  occur,  but  in  quantities  so  small  as 
not  sensibly  to  increase  the  bulk  of  the  at 
mosphere. 

Posidonius  first  calculated  the  height  of  the 
atmosphere,  stating  it  to  be  800  stadia,  nearly 
agreeing  with  our  modern  ideas,  about  79  B.C. 
Its  weight  was  determined  by  Galileo  and  Torri- 
celli,  about  1643;  its  density  and  elasticity  by 
Boyle;  and  its  relation  to  light  and  sound  by 
Hooke,  Newton,  and  Derham.  The  composition 
of  the  atmosphere  was  ascertained  by  Hales, 
Black,  Priestley,  Scheele,  Lavoisier,  and  Caven 
dish  ;  and  its  laws  of  refraction  were  investigated 
by  Dr.  Bradley,  1737. 

Atolls.  An  East  Indian  name  for  the  coral 
formations  known  as  lagoon-islands. 

Atomizer.  An  instrument  to  reduce  a  liquid 
to  a  spray. 

Atrie.     To  bring-to  in  a  gale. 

A-trip.  The  anchor  is  a-trip  when  it  is  just 
hove  clear  of  the  ground.  Sails  are  a-trip  when 
they  are  sheeted  home,  hoisted  taut  up,  and 
ready  for  trimming.  Yards  are  a-trip  when 
they  are  hoisted  up  and  ready  to  be  swayed 
across.  A  mast  is  a-trip  when  the  fid  is  out 
ready  for  lowering. 

Attached.  Belonging  to.  An  officer  is  said 
to  be  attached  to  any  ship  or  station  to  which  he 
is  ordered  for  duty. 

Attack.  To  fall  upon  with  hostile  intent ;  to 
assail. 

Atterage.     (Fr.)     A  land-fall. 

Attested.     Legally  certified. 

Attile.  An  old  law  term  for  the  furniture  of 
a  ship. 

Attraction.  The  principle  'by  which  bodies 
mutually  tend  toward  each  other,  distinguished 
into  the  attraction  of  gravitation,  of  cohesion, 
and  capillary,  magnetic,  and  electrical  attraction. 

Atween,  or  'Tween.     Between. 

Atwixt,  or  'Twixt.     Betwixt. 

Auckland.  A  town  of  New  Zealand,  on  the 
"Waitamata  Inlet.  Lat.  36°  50'  S. ;  Ion.  174° 
50'  E.  It  has  two  fine  harbors.  Auckland  is 
the  third  port  in  the  colony  in  the  value  of  ex 
ports  and  imports.  Pop.  12,000. 

Audit.     To  settle  or  adjust  an  account. 


Auditor,  Fourth.  Chief  of  a  bureau  of  the 
Treasury  Department,  established  in  1817.  Pre 
viously  an  accounting  clerk  in  the  Navy  Depart 
ment.  The  Auditor's  office  receives  the  accounts 
of  all  paymasters  of  United  States  vessels,  navy- 
yards,  and  navy  pay  offices,  of  navy  pension 
agents,  paymasters,  and  quartermasters  of  the 
marine  corps,  and  other  disbursing  agents  for 
the  Navy  Department,  and  passes  upon  the  cor 
rectness  and  legality  of  their  receipts  and  expen 
ditures.  '  All  claims  for  pay,  bounty,  prize- 
money,  traveling  expenses,  or  other  compensation 
for  services  in  the  navy  and  marine  corps  should 
be  made  to  this  office.  All  allowances  by  the 
Fourth  Auditor  are  subject  to  revision  by  the 
Second  Comptroller.  An  appeal  may  be  taken 
to  the  Comptroller  from  an  adverse  decision  of 
the  Auditor,  and  the  decision  of  the  former  is 
final,  except  with  Congress  and  the  United  States 
courts.  The  Auditor  is  the  custodian  of  all  pay- 
and  muster-rolls  of  officers,  men,  and  mechanics 
on  board  ship  or  at  navy-yards,  from  which  the 
state  of  their  accounts  can  be  readily  ascertained. 
He  also  preserves  all  vouchers  for  expenditures 
of  money  and  stores  ;  the  papers  in  claims  of  all 
characters ;  and  the  original  or  copies  of  all  let 
ters  received  or  written.  Records  are  kept  of  all 
accounts  rendered  to  the  office,  and  the  amounts 
allowed  and  disallowed  thereon  ;  of  all  claims  re 
ceived,  and  the  disposition  thereof ;  of  all  moneys 
drawn  from  or  refunded  to  the  Treasury  by  navy 
disbursing  officers  ;  of  all  transfers  of  money, 
clothing,  and  small-stores  between  pay  officers  ; 
of  the  amount  of  money  appropriated  for  each 
specific  naval  purpose  and  the  expenditures  there  • 
from;  of  prizes  captured,  the  participants  in  the 
capture,  and  the  amounts  distributed  to  claim 
ants,  and  remaining  unclaimed ;  of  all  allot 
ments  of  pay,  amount  paid  to  each  allottee,  and 
amount  deducted  from  the  pay  of  each  allottee ; 
and  other  records  of  the  transactions  of  the  office. 
It  is  the  duty  of  the  Auditor  to  prepare  the  ac 
counts  of  delinquent  pay  officers  for  suit  on  their 
official  bonds,  and  transmit  the  same  to  the 
Solicitor  of  the  Treasury.  The  Auditor  has  no 
power  to  compromise  claims  of  the  United  States 
against  its  debtors.  The  office  consists  of  the 
Auditor,  Deputy  Auditor,  and  about  40  clerks, 
and  is  organized  in  divisions,  as  follows :  pay 
masters'  accounts,  prize-money,  general  claims, 
navy  pay  accounts,  bookkeeper's,  records,  and 
navy  pensions. 

Auges.     Apsides. 

Auget.  A  tube  filled  with  powder  for  firing  a 
mine. 

Augmentation  of  the  Moon's  Diameter.  The 
increase  in  apparent  diameter,  due  to  an  increase 
of  elevation. 

Auk.     A  sea-bird  of  the  Alca  family. 

Aulin.  An  Arctic  gull  (Cata-ract.es  parasiti- 
cus).  It  is  called  dirty  aulin  by  the  northern 
boatmen. 

Aumbrey.  An  old  term  for  a  bread  and 
cheese  locker. 

Aume.  A  Dutch  measure  for  wine,  contain 
ing  40  English  gallons. 

Auriga.  A  northern  constellation,  popularly 
known  as  the  "Wagoner."  a  Aurigce,  Capella. 

Aurora.  The  goddess  of  morning.  The  faint 
light  which  precedes  the  rising  of  the  sun. 

AURORA  BOREALIS.  The  northern  lights.  A 
luminous  meteoric  phenomenon,  supposed  to  be 


ATJSTEK 


55 


AWNING 


of  electrical  origin.  This  species  of  light  usually 
appears  in  streams,  ascending  toward  the  zenith 
from  a  dusky  bank,  a  few  degrees  above  the  north 
ern  horizon.  Sometimes  it  assumes  a  wavy  ap 
pearance,  arid  is  then  called  the  merry -dancers, 
The  streams  assume  a  variety  of  colors,  from 
pale  yellow  to  blood-red. 

AURORA  AUSTRALIS.     The  southern^  lights. 

Auster.     The  south  wind  of  the  ancients. 

Austral.     Relating  to  the  south. 

Australia.     See  CONTINENTS. 

Austral  Signs.     The  last  six  of  the  zodiac. 

Austrian  Navy.  The  geographical  position 
of  this  immense  empire  renders  it  next  to  impos 
sible  that  it  should  either  possess  or  require  a 
large  navy.  When  the  territory  extended  over 
Lombardo-Venetia,  the  ports  of  Venice  and 
Trieste  were  commanded  by  Austria,  and  the 
trade  there  carried  on  needed  the  protection  of 
ships  of  war.  But  that  extensive  portion  of  the 
empire  which  was  assigned  to  Austria  by  the 
treaty  of  Vienna,  in  the  year  1815,  was  wrested 
from  her  in  the  year  1859,  when  France  united 
with  Sardinia  to  achieve  the  independence  and 
unification  of  Italy  under  one  monarch.  Con 
sequently  her  maritime  pqssessions  have  dwin 
dled  to  the  Danube  and  the  ports  in  Dalmatia, 
etc.,  and  as  the  former  has  but  one  outlet  to  the 
Black  Sea,  which  does  not  admit  of  vessels  draw 
ing  many  feet  of  water,  Austria  needs  not  many 
ships  of  war  to  protect  her  commerce.  At  the 
present  moment,  therefore,  she  possesses  but  47 
steamers  and  17  ships  of  war,  and  as  their  united 
burden  is  only  93,270  tons,  and  they  altogether 
mount  no  more  than  365  guns,  it  may  be  con 
ceived  that  they  are  for  the  greater  part  very 
small  vessels.  The  entire  annual  cost  of  the 
navy  and  the  establishments  connected  with  it  is 
rather  above  ten  millions  of  florins.  The  trade 
which  the  navy  shelters  is  limited  to  35  ports  in 
the  Littoral  provinces,  54  in  Dalmatia,  and  11  in 
Croatia. 

Autan.     Gusts  of  wind  from  the  south 

Automatic  Fire.  An  explosive  mixture  of 
the  Greeks,  compounded  of  equal  parts  of  sul 
phur,  saltpetre,  and  sulphide  of  antimony  finely 
pulverized  and  mixed  into  a  paste  with  equal 
parts  of  the  juice  of  black  sycamore  and  liquid 
asphaltum,  a  little  quicklime  being  added.  The 
rays  of  the  sun  would  set  it  on  fire. 

Autumn.  The  fall :  the  months  of  September, 
October,  and  November. 

AUTUMNAL  EQUINOX.  The  time  when  the 
sun  crosses  the  equator,  moving  south. 

AUTUMNAL  POINT.  That  point  on  the  ecliptic 
whence  the  sun  descends  southward. 

AUTUMNAL  SIGNS.  Libra,  Scorpio,  and  Sa 
gittarius. 

Auxiliary  Screw.  A  screw  with  which  a  full- 
rigged  vessel  is  sometimes  supplied,  to  be  used  in 
calms,  working  to  windward,  entering  port,  etc. 

Avast.     Stop  ;  cease.    From  the  Italian  basta. 

Avenue.     The  inlet  into  a  port. 

Average.  A  rule  was  established  by  the  Rho- 
dian  law,  and  has  prevailed  in  every  maritime 
nation,  that  where  a  loss  has  been  sustained  or 
an  expense  incurred,  for  the  general  safety  of  the 
ship  and  cargo,  a  contribution  should  be  made, 
in  proportion  to  their  respective  interests,  by  the 
owners  of  the  ship,  freight,  and  goods  on  board ; 
or,  in  modern  times,  by  the  insurer  of  these.  To 
this  contribution  the  name  of  general  average  is 


given.  Personal  property  of  the  passengers,  not 
carried  for  the  purpose  of  traffic,  is  not  liable  for 
any  share  in  this  contribution.  See  JETTISON. 

PARTICULAR  AVERAGE.  The  loss  of  an  an 
chor,  the  leakage  of  a  cask,  the  washing  over 
board  of  goods,  etc.,  where  the  common  safety 
was  not  in  question,  and  where  there  is,  conse 
quently,  no  contribution. 

PETTY  AVERAGES  are  pilotage,  anchorage 
duty,  etc.  If  these  occur  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  the  voyage  they  are  not  loss,  but  simply  a  part 
of  the  expenses  necessarily  incurred.  But  if 
they  have  occurred  under  extraordinary  circum 
stances,  and  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  imme 
diate  danger,  they  are  a  loss,  which  is  included  in 
the  general  average,  and  covered  by  the  contribu 
tion. 

AVERAGE  BOND  is  a  deed  which  parties  liable 
to  a  general  average  are  in  the  habit  of  execut 
ing,  by  which  they  empower  an  arbiter  to  value 
the  property  lost,  and  fix  the  proportion  which 
shall  be  borne  by  each  proprietor. 

AVERAGE  ADJUSTER.  A  qualified  person  to 
adjust  the  loss,  damage,  and  expense  in  conse 
quence  of  an  accident  or  misfortune. 

AVERAGE  AGREEMENT.  A  written  document 
signed  by  the  consignees  of  a  cargo,  binding 
themselves  to  pay  a  certain  proportion  of  gen 
eral  average  that  may  arise  against  them. 

Avviso.     An  Italian  advice-boat. 

Awaft,  or  Awhef  t.  The  displaying  of  a  stopped 
flag. 

Await,  Lying  in.  In  ambush  for  the  purpose 
of  cutting  off  passing  vessels. 

Award.  A  judgment  by  arbitrators  in  mari 
time  cases. 

A-wash.    At  the  surface  of  the  water. 

Away  Off.     At  a  distance,  but  in  sight. 

AWAY  SHE  GOES!  The  cry  when  a  vessel 
starts  on  the  ways  in  launching.  An  order  to 
walk  away  briskly  with  a  tackle. 

AWAY  THERE  !  The  call  for  a  boat's  crew  to 
man  their  boat;  as,  away  there,  launches! 

AWAY  WITH  IT  !  An  order  to  walk  away 
briskly  with  a  tackle. 

A-weather.  The  position  of  the  helm  when 
the  tiller  is  borne  over  to  the  weather  side. 
When  it  is  put  over  to  the  extreme  limit  it  is 
hard  a-weather. 

Aweigh.  The  position  of  the  anchor  just  after 
breaking  ground. 

Awkward  Squad.  A  squad  of  raw  recruits, 
or  of  men  detailed  for  extra  drill  on  account  of 
their  stupidity. 

Awning.  A  canvas  covering  spread  over  the 
deck  of  a  vessel  to  protect  the  crew  from  the  sun 
and  weather.  The  forecastle  awning  extends 
from  the  foremast  forward.  The  main-deck 
awning  is  spread  between  the  foremast  and  the 
mainmast.  The  quarter-deck  awning  is  spread 
between  the  main-  and  mizzen-masts,  and  the 
poop  awning  extends  from  the  mizzen-mast  aft. 

The  back-bone  is  a  rope  stitched  to  the  middle 
of  the  awning.  It  runs  fore-and-aft,  has  a 
thimble  in  one  end,  and  to  the  other  is  hooked 
the  fore-and-aft  tackle.  The  awning  is  hauled 
out  at  the  corners  by  earings,  and  at  the  sides  by 
stops  and  bull-earings. 

The  ridge-rope  is  a  rope  fore-and-aft  the  ship  on 
both  sides,  forming  a  straight  line  from  stem  to 
,  stern,  and  is  supported  by  the  rigging  and  by 
I  wooden  or  iron  supports  called  stanchions. 


AX 


56 


AZUMBAL 


The  sharks-mouth  is  an  opening  to  accommo 
date  the  masts  and  stays  abaft,  and  the  dog-s-ear 
is  one  of  the  irregularly-shaped  corners  thus 
formed.  The  euphroe  is  a  block  of  wood  through 
which  is  rove  a  combination  of  small  lines  called 
a  crowfoot.  To  this  is  hooked  the  crowfoot-hal 
liards. 

The  lacing  is  the  line  which  draws  together 
the  ends  of  adjoining  awnings. 

AWNING-  or  SIDE-CURTAINS  are  strips  of  can 
vas  set  between  the  ridge-rope  and  the  rail. 

To  GET  THE  AWNING  ON  A  STRETCH.  To 
haul  it  taut  between  the  masts. 

To  SPREAD  AN  AWNING.  To  suspend  it  paral 
lel  with  the  deck  by  means  of  the  fore-and-aft 
tackle,  earings,  and  side-stops. 

To  HOUSE  AN  AWNING.  To  bring  the  edges 
close  down  to  a  housing-line  near  the  deck,  thus 
giving  the  canvas  a  greater  angle  and  causing  it 
to  shed  the  water. 

To  TRICE  UP  AN  AWNING.  To  hook  whips 
to  the  earings  and  edges  and  hoist  it  up  to  dry. 
The  whips  are  sometimes  hooked  to  the  back 
bone. 

To  FURL  AN  AWNING.  To  roll  it  up  and  pass 
stops  around  it. 

Ax.     A  tool  for  chopping  wood. 
.  BROAD-AX,  a  carpenter's  tool.     It  has  a  wider 
and  thinner  blade  and  a  shorter  handle  than  the 
ordinary  ax. 

BATTLE-AX.  The  ancient  weapon  had,  some 
times,  a  double  edge.  The  tool  by  this  name 
now  in  use  is  simply  a  hatchet. 

Axis.  A  straight  line  passing  through  a  body 
upon  which  it  revolves,  or  may  be  supposed  to 
revolve. 

Axis  OF  THE  EARTH.  That  diameter  upon 
which  the  earth  rotates  diurnally  from  west  to 
east.  In  consequence  of  this  rotation  the  earth 
has  assumed  its  present  form, — an  oblate  sphe 
roid,  being  compressed  at  the  extremities  of  the 
axis  (the  poles),  and  bulging  in  the  regions  most 
remote  from  thein(the  equatorial).  With  refer 
ence  to  its  extremities,  the  axis  is  called  the 
' '  Polar  Diameter. ' ' 

Axis  OF  THE  HEAVENS.  That  diameter  about 
which  the  celestial  concave  appears  to  revolve 
diurnally  from  east  to  west.  It  passes  through 
the  observer's  place";  and  is  parallel  to  the  axis 
of  the  earth,  with  which  it  is  generally  consid 
ered  coincident. 

Axle.  The  cross-piece  of  a  gun-carriage,  on 
the  extremities  of  which  the  trucks  revolve,  which 
extremities  are  called  the  arms  of  the  axle. 


Aye.  Yes.  Aye-aye,  the  response  of  com 
missioned  officers,  not  commanding  or  flag- 
officers,  to  the  hail  of  the  sentry.  Aye-aye,  sir, 
the  usual  response  to  denote  that  an  order  is  un 
derstood  and  will  be  obeyed. 

Aylet.     The  sea-swallow. 

Ayont.     Beyond. 

Ayr.  An  open  sea-beach.  A  bank  of  sand. 
The  mediaeval  term  for  oar. 

Ayt.     See  EYGHT. 

Azimuth.  The  arc  of  the  horizon  intercepted 
between  the  meridian  of  the  place  and  a  vertical 
circle  passing  through  the  centre  of  any  body 
The  magnetic  azimuth  is  the  arc  of  the  horizon 
intercepted  between  the  vertical  circle  and  the 
magnetic  meridian.  The  difference  between  the 
true  and  the  magnetic  azimuth  is  the  variation  of 
the  compass. 

AZIMUTH  CIRCLE,  a  vertical  circle,  or  great 
circle  passing  through  the  zenith  and  nadir. 

AZIMUTH  AND  ALTITUDE.  The  horizon  co-or 
dinates  for  defining  points  of  the  celestial  con 
cave  in  its  diurnal  revolution  relatively  to  the 
position  of  an  observer  on  the  earth's  surface. 

AZIMUTH  AND  ALTITUDE  INSTRUMENT.  An 
instrument  for  taking  azimuths  and  altitudes  si 
multaneously.  The  telescope  by  which  the  ob 
servations  are  made  is  capable  of  motion  in  two 
planes  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  and  the 
amount  of  its  angular  motion  in  each  is  measured 
in  two  circles  co-ordinate  to  each  other,  whose 
planes  are  parallel  to  those  in  which  the  tele 
scope  moves.  In  the  azimuth  and  altitude  in 
strument  one  of  these  planes  is  horizontal,  the 
other  vertical. 

AZIMUTH,  MOTION  IN.  An  instrument  is  said 
to  move  "in  azimuth"  when  it  is  turned  on  a 
vertical  axis ;  in  contradistinction,  it  is  said  to 
move  "  in  altitude"  when  it  is  turned  on  a  hori 
zontal  axis.  An  azimuth  and  altitude  instru 
ment  admits  of  both  motions. 

AZIMUTH  COMPASS.  A  compass  specially 
adapted  for  observing  bearings. 

AZIMUTH  DIAGRAM,  GODFRAY'S.  A  diagram 
by  means  of  which  the  true  azimuth  can  be 
rapidly  and  simply  obtained  without  calculation, 
the  data  being  the  latitude,  the  sun's  declination, 
and  the  apparent  time.  The  scale  on  which  it  is 
constructed  gives  the  result  to  within  one-eighth 
of  a  degree. 

Azogue.  Quicksilver.  A  Spanish  ship  fitted 
expressly  to  carry  quicksilver. 

Azumbal.  A  Spanish  wine  measure,  eight  of 
which  make  an  arroba. 


B 


BACK-LASH 


B. 


B.  Abbreviation  for  before  in  the  U.  S. 
General  Service  Code  of  Signals.  In  the  log  b 
denotes  blue  sky. 

Baard.     A  mediaeval  transport. 

Baas.     A  Dutch  skipper. 

Babbing.     A  method  of  catching  crabs. 

Babbitt  Metal.  A  soft  alloy  of  copper,  zinc, 
and  tin,  used  for  the  bearing  of  journals  to  di 
minish  friction. 

Bac.  A  French  ferry-boat.  A  punt  used  by 
shipwrights  for  carrying  tar,  pitch,  etc. 

A  broad  flat  boat  for  transporting  carriages, 
cattle,  etc.,  over  streams  by  means  of  a  rope 
stretched  across. 

Bacallao  (Sp.).  Newfoundland  and  adjacent 
islands.  The  name  is  also  applied  to  the  codfish 
salted  in  Newfoundland. 

Bache,  Alexander  Dallas,  LL.D.,  A.A.S., 
physicist,  born  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  July  19,  1806  ; 
died  Newport,  R,  I.,  February  17,  1867.  West 
Point,  1825.  He  was  a  great-grandson  of  Dr. 
Franklin,  and  his  mother  was  ^,he  daughter  of 
A.  J.  Dallas.  He  was  a  lieutenant  of  engineers 
until  his  resignation,  in  1829.  Engaged  in  con 
structing  Fort  Adams  and  other  works  at  the  en 
trance  of  Narragansett  Bay.  From  1827  to  1832 
he  was  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  then  took  charge  of  the 
organization  of  Girard  College,  spending  some 
time,  in  1836,  inspecting  the  great  schools  of 
Europe,  publishing,  upon  his  return,  a  valuable 
report  on  the  subject.  In  1839  he  resigned  his 
connection  with  this  college,  and  became,  in  1841, 
principal  of  the  Philadelphia  High  School.  In 
1843  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  U.  S. 
Coast  Survey.  Its  valuable  contributions  to 
geodetic  and  physical  science  are  found  in  the 
annual  reports  of  the  survey,  and  in  the  proceed 
ings  of  the  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Sci 
ence,  took  a  prominent  part  in  founding  the 
American  Academy  of  Science,  was  made  presi 
dent  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  in 
1855,  and  was  an  active  and  efficient  member  of 
the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission  through 
out  the  war  of  the  Kebellion.  The  degree  of 
LL.D.  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  University 
of  New  York  in  1836,  by  the  University  of  Penn 
sylvania  in  1837,  and  by  Harvard  University  in 
1851.  He  was  made  a  regent  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  in  August,  1846.  In  1833  he  edited 
Brewster's  "  Optics,"  with  notes.  He  published 
"  Observations"  at  the  observatory  of  Girard  Col 
lege,  1840-45,  3  vols.  8vo,  "  Report  of  Experi 
ments  to  Navigate  the  Chesapeake  and  Delaware 
Canal  by  Steam,"  Philadelphia,  1834,  and  con 
tributed  many  valuable  papers  to  the  scientific 
journals  of  the  day. 

Back,  Sir  George,  born  at  Stockport,  England, 
November  6,  1796.  In  the  year  1819  this  British 


naval  officer  accompanied  Sir  John  Franklin  on 
his  first  Arctic  voyage.  Fourteen  j-ears  later  he 
was  sent  out  on  an  expedition  in  search  of  Cap 
tain  Boss,  an  Arctic  navigator,  and  published  an 
interesting  account  of  his  voyage.  In  1839  he 
was  knighted,  and  in  1867  he  became  an  admiral. 

Back.  The  outside  or  convex  part  of  compass- 
timber.  The  outermost  board  of  a  sawn  tree. 

BACK  OF  A  SHIP..  A  figurative  term  for  the 
keel  and  kelson.  See  BROKEN-BACKED. 

BACK  OF  THE  POST.  An  additional  timber 
bolted  to  the  after  part  of  the  stern-post. 

To  BACK  AN  ANCHOR.     See  ANCHOR. 

To  BACK  A  SHIP  AT  ANCHOR.  To  keep  the 
chain  taut  by  hoisting  the  mizzen-topsail.  If 
the  wind  falls  she  should  be  hove  a-peak. 

To  BACK  A  SAIL.  To  lay  the  yard  so  that 
the  wind  acts  on  the  forward  surface,  and  thus 
check  or  stop  the  headway. 

To  BACK  WATER.  To  row  in  a  direction 
contrary  to  the  usual  mode,  so  as  to  give  a  boat 
stern  way. 

To  BACK  THE  PORT  OR  STARBOARD  OARS. 
To  back  on  one  side  and  give  way  on  the  other, 
so  as  to  round  quickly. 

To  BACK  A  ROPE  OR  CHAIN.  To  put  on  a 
preventer. 

To  BACK  THE  WORMING.  To  fill  the  holidays 
between  the  worming  and  the  rope,  so  as  to  give 
a  smooth  surface  for  the  service. 

The  wind  is  said  to  back  when  it  changes  di 
rection  against  the  sun. 

To  BACK  AND  FILL.  A  method  of  working 
to  windward  with  a  weather  tide  in  a  narrow 
channel.  The  main  object  is  to  keep  the  ship  in 
mid-channel  broadside  on  to  the  current.  The 
yards  are  counterbraced,  or  the  sails  are  kept 
shivering.  The  ship  is  kept  well  under  control 
by  bracing  the  yards  and  giving  her  the  jib  and 
spanker  as  circumstances  demand.  To  attempt 
this  manoeuvre  a  correct  knowledge  of  the 
strength  and  set  of  the  currents  and  the  depth 
of  the  water  is  required. 

BACK  HER  !  The  order  to  reverse  the  engine 
and  give  the  vessel  sternway. 

Back-board.  A  board  across  the  stern-sheets 
of  a  boat  to  form  the  coxswain's  box,  and  also  to 
support  the  backs  of  the  passengers. 

Back-bone.  The  fore-and-aft  rope  stitched 
to  the  midship  part  of  an  awning. 

Backer.  A  broad  piece  of  sennit  nailed  around 
the  yard  inside  of  the  sheave.  It  is  fitted  with 
an  eye  or  a  thimble,  and  the  head-earing  is  rove 
through  it. 

Back-frame.  The  vertical  wheel  which  turns 
the  whirlers  of  a  rope-winch. 

Backing.  The  timber  behind  the  armor-plates 
of  a  ship.  See  ARMOR. 

Back-lash.  The  reaction  or  striking  back  of 
the  moving  parts  of  machinery  when  the  power 
is  not  uniform  or  the  load  is  variable. 


BACK-O'-BEYOND 


58 


BAGPIPE 


Back-o'-beyond.  Said  of  a  great  unknown 
distance. 

Back-observation.  A  name  applied  to  an 
observation  in  which  the  greatest  distance  of  the 
heavenly  body  from  the  horizon  is  measured.  It 
is  so  called  because  the  back  of  the  observer  is 
turned  to  the  object  when  its  altitude  is  taken. 

Back-pressure.  The  resistance  of  the  atmos 
phere  or  waste  steam  to  the  piston. 

Back-rope.  A  rope  which  fits  over  the  dol 
phin-striker  with  a  cuckold's  neck  and  sets  up  to 
the  bows  on  each  side.  See  GOB-LINE. 

Back-sight.     The  breech-sight  of  fire-arms. 

Back-staff.  An  old  navigating  instrument 
invented  in  1590;  so  named  because  the  back  of 
the  observer  was  turned  to  the  heavenly  body 
when  its  altitude  was  measured.  See  BACK-OB 
SERVATION. 

Backstays.  Ropes  which  extend  from  all 
mast-heads— except  the  lower — to  the  ship's  side 
or  channels. 

STANDING  BACKSTAYS  set  up  well  aft  and 
support  the  masts  when  the  wind  is  abaft  the 
beam. 

BREAST-BACKSTAYS  set  up  in  the  channels  and 
support  the  masts  when  on  the  wind.  They  are 
not  now  in  use. 

BEAR  ABAFT  THE  BREAST-BACKSTAYS!  An 
order  to  come  up  the  breast-backstays  and  bear 
them  abaft,  in  order  that  the  yards  may  be  braced 
sharp  up. 

PREVENTER-BACKSTAYS.  Additional  supports 
to  assist  the  backstays  when  carrying  on. 

TRAVELING-BACKSTAYS  are  fitted  with  a  trav 
eler,  which  moves  up  and  down  with  the  topsail- 
yard.  The  support  is  thus  kept  where  it  is  most 
needed.  They  are  not  now  in  use. 

To  BACKSTAY  A  YARD.  To  brace  it  up  as  far 
as  the  backstays  will  permit. 

Backstay-plates.  Plates  to  which  the  back 
stays  set  up. 

Backstay-stools.  Small  detached  channels 
fixed  abaft  the  principal  ones,  to  which  the  stand 
ing  backstays  set  up.  They  are  introduced  in 
preference  to  extending  the  channels. 

Back-strapped.  A  ship  with  a  wind  fair,  but 
so  light  as  not  to  enable  her  to  stem  the  current, 
is  said  to  be  back  strapped. 

Back-sweep.  That  which  forms  the  hollow 
of  the  top-timber  of  a  frame. 

Back- wash.     See  WASH. 

Back-water.  Water  thrown  back  by  the  turn 
ing  of  a  paddle-wheel  or  propeller.  Water  held 
by  a  dam  or  reservoir.  The  smooth  water  free 
from  current  in  a  small  stream  which  runs  into 
a  large  stream.  It  is  caused  by  the  rising  of  the 
water  in  the  main  stream. 

Baculite.  A  genus  of  fossil  shells  of  a  straight 
form,  a  little  conical,  and  in  their  cellular  struc 
ture  resembling  the  ammonites. 

Badderlock.  The  Fucus  esculentus,  a  kind 
of  edible  sea-weed. 

Badge,  Good-conduct.  Any  enlisted  man 
holding  a  continuous-service  certificate,  who  is 
distinguished  for  obedience  and  sobriety,  and  is 
proficient  in  seamanship  and  gunnery,  shall  re 
ceive,  upon  the  expiration  of  his  enlistment, 
a  good-conduct  badge ;  after  he  has  received 
three  such  badges,  under  three  consecutive  re- 
enlistments,  within  three  months  from  the  dates 
of  his  discharge,  he  shall,  if  qualified,  be  enlisted 
as  a  petty  officer,  and  hold  a  petty  officer's  rating 


during  subsequent  continuous  re-enlistments ; 
and  shall  not  be  reduced  to  a  lower  rating  except 
by  sentence  of  a  court-martial. 

Badge,  Quarter.  False  quarter-galleries.  A 
carved  ornament  on  a  vessel's  quarter,  contain 
ing  a  window  or  a  representation  of  one. 

Badger.     To  worry  ;  to  nag. 

Badger-bag.  The  burlesque  Neptune,  who 
boards  the  ship  on  crossing  the  line. 

Badger  Whiskers.  In  1841,  Hon.  George  E. 
Badger,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  issued  a  general 
order  regulating  the  uniform  of  the  navy,  in 
which  was  a  clause  requiring  that  no  part  of  the 
beard  should  be  worn  long  except  the  whiskers, 
and  that  they  should  not  descend  more  than  one 
inch  below  the  tips  of  the  ears,  and  thence  in  a 
line  with  the  corners  of  the  mouth.  These  were 
nicknamed  "  Badger  Whiskers."  Fashion,  how 
ever,  proved  more  powerful  than  the  regulation, 
and  the  order  was  never  fully  enforced. 

Baessy.  The  old  name  of  a  gun,  afterwards 
called  base. 

Baffin,  Wm.,  born  in  1584.  Engaged  with  Jas. 
Hall  in  Arctic  investigations  begun  in  1612; 
this  navigator  discovered  the  gulf  which  commu 
nicates  with  the  North  Atlantic  Ocean  by  Davis' 
Strait,  and  he  earned  immortality  by  giving  the 

fulf  the  name  of  Baffin's  Bay,  in  1016 ;  was 
illed  at  the  siege  of  Ormuz,  May  23,  1622. 

Baffling.  A  light  breeze,  which  is  continually 
hauling  and  veering,  is  said  to  be  baffling. 

Bag.  A  pouch  or  sack  to  hold  or  convey  any 
thing.  The  bag  in  which  the  sailor's  clothing  is 
stowed  is  made  of  canvas  painted  black,  with  the 
owner's  name  and  ship's  number  plainly  sten 
ciled  thereon. 

WHAT  is  THE  NUMBER  OF  YOUR  BAG  ? 
Jack's  facetious  inquiry  addressed  to  a  comrade 
starting  out  on  perilous  duty  from  which  he 
may  never  return.  The  saying  originated  from 
the'habit  seamen  formerly  had  of  going  through 
a  dead  comrade's  bag  before  his  effects"  could  be 
sold  at  auction. 

DITTY-BAG.  A  small  bag  to  hold  sewing- 
gear,  shaving-tackle,  etc. 

MONK-BAG.  A  small  purse,  which  sailors 
wear  strung  around  their  neck,  to  contain  their 
valuables.  So  named  from  the  habit  monkeys 
have  of  stowing  away  food  in  their  cheeks. 

BAG  AND  BAGGAGE.  The  whole  movable 
property. 

BAG  "OF  THE  HEAD-RAILS.  The  lowest  part 
or  sweep  of  the  head-rails. 

To  BAG  ON  A  BOWLINE.  To  be  leewardly. 
A  sail  is  said  to  bag  when,  the  leeches  being 
taut,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  slack  canvas  in  the 
sail.  Formerly  sails  were  so  cut  intentionally, 
the  idea  being  that  they  would  catch  more  wind. 
Sails  are  now  cut  so  as  to  set  as  flat  as  possible. 

Bagala.  A  two-masted  Arab  boat,  used  both 
for  commerce  and  for  piracy.  They  are  from  50 
to  300  tons  burden,  and  sail  with  great  rapidity. 

Baggety.  The  lump  or  sea-owl  (Cyclopterus 
turn  pus). 

Baggonet.  An  old  term  for  bayonet,  and  not 
a  vulgarism. 

Baghela.  A  Muscat  one-masted  vessel,  200  to 
300  tons  burden. 

Bag-net.     A  fishing-net  shaped  like  a  bag. 

Bagnio.  A  barrack  for  galley-slaves  and 
convicts. 

Bagpipe.     To  bagpipe  the  mizzen  is  to  lay  it 


BAG-KEEF 


59 


BAINBRIDGE 


aback  by  bringing  the  sheet  to  the  mizzen 
rigging. 

Bag-reef.  The  lower  reef  of  fore-and-aft 
sails  ;  the  upper  reef  of  topsails. 

Bagrel.     A  minnow  or  baggie. 

Baguio.  A  rare  but  very  violent  wind  among 
the  Philippine  Islands. 

Bahar.  A  weight  used  in  the  East  Indies, 
varying  considerably  in  different  localities,  ran 
ging  from  223  to  625  pounds. 

Bahia.  A  city  and  seaport  of  Brazil,  situated 
in  an  elevated  position  on  the  strip  of  land  form 
ing  the  E.  side  of  the  entrance  to  All-Saints  Bay, 
immediately  within  Cape  San  Antonio,  on  which 
is  a  revolving  light  140  feet  above  sea-level ;  in  lat. 
13°  0'  42"  S.,  Ion.  38°  31'  42"  W.  It  is  800  miles 
N.N.E.  of  Kio  de  Janeiro. 

The  harbor  is  one  of  the  best  in  America,  and 
is  suitable  for  vessels  of  any  size.  The  commerce 
consists  chiefly  in  the  export  of  sugar,  cotton,  to 
bacco,  coffee,  etc.  The  whale-fisheries  of  this  city 
were  once  the  greatest  in  the  world,  and  large 
numbers  of  whales  are  still  caught  in  the  neigh 
boring  waters.  Pop.  140,000. 

Baidar.  An  Arctic  canoe  used  for  pursuing 
otters  and  even  whales.  It  consists  of  a  frame 
18  to  25  feet  long,  covered  with  hides,  and  is 
impelled  by  6  to  12  paddles. 

Baikie.  A  name  for  the  Larus  marinus,  or 
black-backed  gull. 

Bail.  A  surety.  The  cargo  of  a  captured  or 
detained  vessel  is  not  allowed  to  be  taken  on  bail 
before  adjudication  except  by  mutual  consent. 
To  lade  water  out  of  a  ship  or  boat  with  buckets 
(which  were  of  old  called  bayles),  cans,  or  the 
like. 

Bail-bond.  The  obligation  entered  into  by 
sureties.  In  prize  matters  the  bail-bond  is  not 
a  mere  personal  security  given  to  the  individual 
captors,  but  an  assurance  to  abide  by  the  adjudi 
cation  of  the  court. 

Bailey,  Theodorus,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N. 
Born  in  New  York,  and  appointed  midshipman 
from  that  State,  January  1, 1818.  Commissioned 
as  lieutenant,  March  3,  1827 ;  receiving-ship,  at 
New  York,  1829;  sloop  "  Vincennes/'  Pacific 
Squadron,  1834-36;  special  duty,  1837;  navy- 
yard,  New  York,  1840;  frigate  "Constellation," 
East  India  Squadron,  1843;  rendezvous,  New 
York,  1846;  commanding  store-ship  "Lexing 
ton,"  1847-48.  While  in  command  of  the  store- 
ship  "Lexington,"  during  the  Mexican  war, 
rendered  eificient  and  valuable  aid  to  the  com 
mander  of  the  Pacific  Squadron  by  his  energy, 
enterprise,  and  gallantry  in  fitting  out  and  lead 
ing  numerous  expeditions  against  the  enemy. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  March  6,  1849 ; 
commissioned  as  captain,  December  15,  1855 ; 
commanding  sloop-of-war  "St.  Mary's,"  1856- 
57;  commanded  frigate  "Colorado,"  Western 
Gulf  Blockading  Squadron,  1861-62. 

Captain  Bailey  was  Farragut's  second  in  com 
mand  in  the  battle  at  New  Orleans,  and  led  the 
attack  and  passage  of  the  forts.  He  was  officially 
commended  by  Admiral  Farragut  for  his  bravery 
and  ability,  and  further  complimented  by  being 
sent  to  Washington  as  the  bearer  of  dispatches, 
announcing  the  victory.  Commissioned  as  com 
modore,  July  16,  1862. 

Commodore  Bailey,  although  his  health  was 
seriously  impaired,  asked  for  active  duty,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1862  was  ordered  to  command  the 


Eastern  Gulf  Blockading  Squadron,  where  he 
displayed  great  energy  and  perseverance  in  his 
successful  attempt  to  break  up  blockade-running 
on  the  Florida  coast.  Commandant  Portsmouth 
navy-yard,  1865-67. 

Commissioned  as  rear-admiral,  July  25,  1866. 
On  special  duty  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  1867-70 
Died  1876. 

Bails.  The  frame  which  supports  the  canopy 
spread  over  the  stern-sheets  of  a  boat. 

Bainbridge,  William,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Born  in  Princeton,  N.  J.,  May  7,  1774;  was  the 
son  of  Dr.  Absalom  Bainbridge,  a  leading  phy 
sician  of  New  York.  His  maternal  grandfather 
was  John  Taylor,  Lord  High  Commissioner  of 
New  Jersey  under  the  crown.  Bainbridge  made 
his  first  cruise  in  the  frigate  "Alliance,"  then 
sold  out  of  the  navy  and  engaged  in  the  India 
trade.  When  18,  he  sailed  as  first  mate  of  a  ves 
sel,  and  when  19,  was  made  her  commander. 
Appointed  a  lieutenant-commandant  in  the  navy 
in  1798,  and  given  command  of  the  "  Retalia- 
tion,"  14.  Captured  off  Guadaloupe  by  the 
French  frigates  "  Insurgente"  and  "  Le  Volon- 
tier."  Promoted  to  master  commandant  and 
given  command  of  the  "Norfolk,"  18.  Cap 
tured  several  French  privateers.  Promoted  to 
captain  in  1800,  when  26  years  old.  Took  the 
"George  Washington,"  28,  to  Constantinople 
with  tribute-money  from  the  Dey  of  Algiers, 
and  was  the  first  to  show  our  flag  in  Turkey. 
Commanded  next  the  "  Essex,"  32,  in  the  Medi* 
terranean.  Next  took  command  of  the  "  Phila 
delphia,"  38,  joining  the  squadron  of  Commodore 
Preble.  Captured  "the  Moorish  pirate  "  Mesh- 
boha,"  22.  While  blockading  Tripoli  harbor, 
October  31,  1803,  the  "Philadelphia"  grounded 
on  a  reef  not  laid  down  in  the  chart,  and  the 
•vessel  was  captured  by  the  Tripolitans,  her  com 
mander,  officers,  and  crew  suffering  imprison 
ment  until  the  end  of  the  Tripolitan  war, — June, 
1805.  Made  several  cruises  in  the  merchant  ser 
vice  during  the  peace  that  followed.  In  Decem 
ber,  1808,  hoisted  his  broad-pennant  in  the 
"President,"  44,  remaining  in  her  until  May, 
1810.  Sailed  again  in  the  merchant  service  until 
1812,  when  war  with  England  became  imminent. 
It  was  the  temper  of  the  government  to  lay  up 
our  navy  during  this  war,  but  by  the  earnest 
protest  of  Bainbridge  and  Stewart  this  terrible 
blunder  was  avoided.  Commanded  the  Charles- 
town  navy-yard  until  the  declaration  of  war, — 
June  18/1812.  He  relieved  Hull  in  command 
of  the  "Constitution,"  44,  September  15,  1812. 
Ran  down  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  when  in  lat. 
13°  Q/  S.  and  Ion.  31°  W.,  she  fell  in  with  and 
captured  the  English  frigate  "Java,"  38.  The 
"  Constitution"  went  into  action  and  came  out 
with  royal  yards  across,  and  without  losing  a 
spar.  The  "Java"  was  reduced  to  a  mastless 
wreck,  too  much  injured  to  be  taken  into  port. 
The  "  Constitution"  had  9  killedand  25  wounded. 
Bainbridge  was  seriously  shot  with  a  musket- 
ball,  and^hurt  by  a  splinter  from  the  wheel.  The 
"  Java"  had  124  killed  and  wounded.  Her  cap 
tain — Lambert — was  fatally  injured.  Among 
the  prisoners  taken  was  Lieutenant-General 
Hislop,  bound  to  Bombay  as  governor.  Men  and 
officers  were  released  on  parole  at  San  Salvador. 
Reached  Boston  February  27,  1813,  Bainbridge 
relinquishing  her  command.  For  this  action  he 
received  a  gold  medal  from  Congress.  Com- 


BAIT  60 

.- 

manded  the  Charlestown  navy-yard  until  the 
end  of  the  war.  Commanded  the  Mediterranean 
Squadron  in  1815,  his  flag-ship  being  the  "  In 
dependence,"  74,  and  again  in  1819,  his  flag-ship 
in  this  instance  being  the  "  Columbus,"  80.  Re 
turned  home  in  1821,  and  was  made  a  navy  com 
missioner.  Commanded  the  Philadelphia  navy- 
yard.  Died  in  Philadelphia,  July  28,  1833, 
aged  59  years  and  3  months.  He  married  Susan 
Heyliger,  granddaughter  of  Captain-General 
Heyliger,  governor  of  the  Dutch  West  Indies. 
His  youngest  daughter  married  Rear-Admiral 
Henry  Kuhn  Hoff,  of  the  navy,  and  his  grand 
son,  William  Bainbridge  Hoff,  is  still  in  the 
service. —  Wm.  Bainbridge  Hoff,  Lieutenant- Com 
mander  U.S.N. 

Bait.     The  charge  of  a  hook  to  allure  fish. 

Baitland.  An  old  word  used  to  signify  a  port 
where  refreshments  could  be  procured. 

Bala-chong.  A  kind  of  cake  formed  of  small 
fishes  pounded  up  with  salt  and  spices  and  then 
dried.  It  is  much  esteemed  in  China  as  a  condi 
ment  for  rice,  etc. 

Balsena.  The  zoological  name  for  the  right 
•whale. 

Balaklava.  A  town  of  Russia,  in  the  Crimea, 
on  the  Black  Sea.  Lat.  44°  29'  N. ;  Ion.  33°  34' 
40/x  E.  It  has  an  excellent  port.  Pop.  742. 

Balance.  To  contract  a  sail  into  a  narrower 
compass ; — this  is  peculiar  to  the  mizzen  of  a  ship, 
and  to  the  mainsail  of  those  vessels  wherein  it  is 
extended  by  a  boom.  The  operation  of  bal 
ancing  the  mizzen  is  performed  by  lowering  the 
yard  or  gaff  a  little,  then  rolling  up  a  small  por 
tion  of  the  sail  at  the  peak  or  upper  corner,  and 
lashing  it  about  one-fifth  down  towards  the  mast. 
A  boom  mainsail  is  balanced  by  rolling  up  a 
portion  of  the  clew,  or  lower  aftermost  corner, 
and  fastening  it  strongly  to  the  boom. 

Balance-fish.  The  hammer  -  headed  shark 
(which  see). 

Balance-frames.  Those  frames  or  bends  of 
timber,  of  an  equal  capacity  or  area,  which  are 
equally  distant  from  the  ship's  centre  of  grav 
ity. 

Balance  of  Power.  An  expression  used  in 
diplomacy  for  that  state  of  matters  in  which  no 
one  of  the  European  states  is  permitted  to  have 
such  a  preponderance  as  to  endanger  the  inde 
pendence  of  the  others. 

Balance  of  Trade.  The  term  commonly  used 
to  express  the  difference  between  the  value  of  the 
exports  from,  and  the  imports  into,  a  county. 
The  balance  is  said  to  be  favorable  when  the 
value  of  the  exports  exceeds  that  of  the  imports, 
and  unfavorable  when  the  value  of  the  imports 
exceeds  that  of  the  exports. 

Balance-reef.  To  balance-reef  a  sail  is  to  re 
duce  it  to  its  last  reef,  generally  applied  to  fore- 
and-aft  sails. 

Balance-reef-band.  A  reef-band  that  crosses 
a  spanker  or  trysail  from  the  head-earing  to  the 
tack  diagonally,  making  it  nearly  triangular,  and 
is  used  to  contract  it  in  very  blowing  weather. 
A  balance-reef-band  is  generally  placed  in  all 
gaff-sails  ;  the  band  runs  from  the  throat  to  the 
clew,  so  that  it  may  be  reefed  either  way, — by 
lacing  the  foot  or  lower  half;  or  by  lacing  the 
gaff  dropped  to  the  band :  the  latter  is  only  done 
in  the  worst  weather. 

Balance,  Steam.  The  ordinary  safety-valve 
(which  see). 


BALCH 

Balancing-point.  A  familiar  term  for  centre 
of  gravity. 

Balandra.  A  Spanish  pleasure-boat.  A 
lighter,  a  species  of  schooner. 

Balanus.     The  acorn-shell.    A  sessile  cirriped. 

Balcar,  or  Balcor.     See  BALKAR. 

Balch,  George  B.,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N. 
Born  in  Tennessee,  January  3,  1821.  Appointed 
from  Alabama,  December  30,  1837  ;  attached  to 
sloop  "Cyane,"  Pacific  Squadron,  1840;  Naval 
School,  Philadelphia,  1843. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  June  29, 
1843;  special  duty,  1845;  in  war  with  Mexico, 
November  1,  1846,  engaged  in  first  attack  on 
Alvarado  by  squadron  under  Commodore  Con 
nor  ;  engaged  in  active  operations  from  Ma}', 
1846,  to'surrender  of  Vera  Cruz,  March,  1847; 
in  Mosquito  Fleet,  under  Commodore  Tatnall, 
covered  the  landing  of  the  army  under  General 
Scott,  March  9,  1847 ;  at  the  time  acting  master 
of  the  "Falcon"  ;  March,  1847,  engaged  in  the 
joint  bombardment  of  Vera  Cruz  with  the  army, 
and  was  present  at  the  surrender  of  that  city  and 
the  Castle  of  San  Juan  d'Ulloa  to  the  military 
and  naval  forces;  steamer  "Princeton,"  Medi 
terranean  Squadron,  1847-48 ;  Naval  Observa 
tory,  Washington,  1849-50. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant,  August  16,1850; 
sloop  "Plymouth,"  Pacific  Squadron,  1851-54; 
while  in  the  "  Plymouth,"  Lieutenant  Balch,  in 
command  of  the  advance  post  at  Shanghai, 
China,  was  wounded  in  the  hip  in  a  fight  be 
tween  the  rebels  and  Imperialists  ;  nav}7-yard, 
Washington,  1855-57;  sloop  "Jamestown," 
Home  Squadron,  1857-58;  sloop  "St.  Mary's," 
Pacific  Squadron,  1858-59;  frigate  "Sabine," 
1860;  while  in  the  "  Sabine,"  fell  in  with  the 
transport  "Governor"  and  rescued  nearly  400 
marines,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Reynolds, 
the  transport  sinking  under  the  "  Sabine's"  stern, 
November  24,  1861  ;  in  command  of  steamer 
"  Pocahontas,"  South  Atlantic  Squadron,  1861- 
62;  volunteered  for  command  of  boats  in  taking 
possession  of  Tybee  Island,  December  26,  1861. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  July  16,  1862 ; 
engaged  rebel  battery  at  Stono,  South  Carolina; 
in  August,  1862,  ascended  Black  River  the  dis 
tance  of  seventy-five  miles,  and  drove  rebel  bat 
tery  from  earth-works,  and  engaged  rebel  infantry 
on  the  bluffs  ;  commanding  steamer  "  Pawnee," 
South  Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron,  1863-65; 
July  16,  1863,  was  attacked  by  two  batteries,  the 
rebels  making  a  simultaneous  attack  on  General 
Terry's  forces.  They  were  repulsed,  and  Com 
mander  Balch  was  informed  by  General  Terry 
that  he  had  saved  his  command.  The  "  Paw 
nee"  was  struck  forty-six  times.  On  December 
25,  1863,  the  "  Marblehead"  was  opened  on  by 
rebel  batteries  ;  the  "  Pawnee"  took  an  enfilading 
position  in  the  Keowah  River,  and  demoralized 
the  enemy  and  caused  him  to  retreat ;  afterward 
captured  two  rebel  guns.  While  in  command 
of  the  "Pawnee,"  Commander  Balch  engaged 
in  the  combined  operations  of  the  naval  forces 
under  Rear-Admiral  Dahlgren,  and  the  army 
under  General  Foster,  in  Stono  River,  South 
Carolinar  from  July  3  to  11,  1864,  and  particu 
larly  in  the  bombardment  of  Battery  Pringle,  on 
James  Island,  South  Carolina.  On  February  9, 
1865,  having  with  him  the  "  Sonoma"  and  "  Daf 
fodil,"  he  ascended  the  Togoda  Creek,  North 
Edisto,  South  Carolina,  and  engaged  three  rebel 


BALCONY 


61 


BALLAST 


batteries  of  eleven  or  twelve  guns,  driving  the 
rebels  from  their  earth- works.  The  u  Pawnee" 
was  hit  ten  times,  the  "Sonoma"  twice,  and 
the  "  Daffodil"  twice  ;  navy-yard,  Washington, 
1866-68. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  July  25,  1866 ; 
commanding  flag-ship  "Albany,"  N^  Atlantic 
Squadron,  1868-69;  navigation  duty,  Washing 
ton,  1870-71 ;  navy-yard,  Washington,  1872. 

Commissioned  as  commodore,  August  13, 
1872 ;  Governor  Naval  Asylum,  Philadelphia, 
1873-76  ;  member  Light-House  Board,  1877-78.; 
promoted  to  rear-admiral,  1878 ;  superintendent 
of  Naval  Academy,  1879-80. 

Balcony.  The  projecting  open  galleries  of 
old  line-of-battle  ships'  sterns. 

Baldrick.  A  leathern  girdle  or  sword-belt. 
Also  the  zodiac. 

Baldwin,  Charles  H.,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Born  in  New  York,  September  3,  1822.  Ap 
pointed  from  New  York,  April  24,  1839;  at 
tached  to  frigate  "  Brandywine,"  Mediterranean 
Squadron,  1839-40;  sloop  "Fairfield,"  Mediter 
ranean  Squadron,  1840-43;  sloop  "Vandalia," 
1843-44;  Naval  School,  Philadelphia,  1844-45. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  July  2, 
1845;  frigate  "Congress,"  Pacific  Squadron, 
1845-49 ;  war  with  Mexico ;  operations  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Mazatlan  during  the  time  that 
place  was  in  possession  of  the  United  States  naval 
forces,  from  November,  1847,  to  June,  1848  ;  two 
engagements  with  the  enemy. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant,  November,  1853; 
resigned,  February  28,  1854  ;  re-entered  the  ser 
vice  as  lieutenant,  1861 ;  commanded  steamer 
"  Clifton"  at  the  passage  of  Forts  Jackson  and 
St.  Philip,  and  capture  of  New  Orleans,  also  at 
first  attack  on  Vicksburg,  1862. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  November  18, 
1862;  commanding  steamer  "  Vanderbilt" ; 
special  service,  1863-64 ;  ordnance  duty,  Mare 
Island  navy-yard,  California,  1864-67 ;  fleet- 
captain,  North  Pacific  Squadron,  1868-69. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  1869  ;  Inspector  of 
Ordnance,  Mare  Island,  California,  1869-71 ; 
commanding  "  Colorado,"  Asiatic  Squadron, 
1871-73;  commanding  naval  rendezvous,  San 
Francisco,  1873. 

Commissioned  as  commodore,  August  8, 1876  ; 
member  Board  of  Examiners,  1876-79. 

Bale.     A  pack  or  bundle. 

BALE-GOODS.  Goods  or  merchandise  done  up 
in  bales. 

Baleen.  The  scientific  term  for  the  whale 
bone  of  commerce,  derived  from  balcena,  a 
whale.  It  consists  of  a  series  of  long  horny 
plates  growing  from  each  side  of  the  palate  in 
place  of  teeth.  These  plates  are  10  to  15  feet  in 
length,  and  about  a  foot  in  width  at  the  base. 

Bale-fire.     A  beacon-fire. 

Balenot.  A  porpoise  or  small  whale,  which 
frequents  the  river  St.  Lawrence. 

Balestilha.  The  cross-staff  of  the  early  Por 
tuguese  navigators. 

Balinger,  or  Balangha.  A  kind  of  small 
sloop  or  barge ;  small  vessels  of  war,  formerly 
without  forecastles.  A  trading-boat  of  the  Phil 
ippines  and  Moluccas. 

Balistes.  A  genus  of  ganoid  fishes,  charac 
terized  by  their  solid  coat  of  mail  extending  over 
the  head  as  well  as  the  body.  Commonly  called 
trigger-fish. 


Balit.  A  one-masted  vessel  of  Muscat,  from 
100  to  200  tons  burden. 

Balize  is  on  the  Bay  of  Honduras,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Balize.  Lat.  17°  29'  18" 
N.  ;  Ion.  88°  12'  W.  The  anchorage  is  safe  and 
the  harbor  spacious.  The  chief  trade  is  in  ma 
hogany.  Exports  and  imports  about  $1,000,000 
per  annum.  Pop.  4000. 

Balk.  Young  trees  felled  and  squared.  A 
beam  of  timber  used  for  temporary  purposes,  and 
under  eight  inches  square.  Timbers,  squared,  of 
any  size,  intended  for  planks,  or,  when  very 
large,  for  booms  or  rafts. 

Balkar.  A  man  placed  on  an  eminence  to 
watch  the  movements  of  shoals  of  fish.  In 
early  statutes  he  is  called  balcor. 

Ball.  A  round  body  or  globe.  A  solid  shot 
or  bullet  discharged  from  a  cannon  or  other 
gun.  Formerly  the  word  ball  in  its  military 
sense  sufficiently  described  the  projectiles  of  fire 
arms,  as  nothing  but  round  solid  substances,  such 
as  stone,  iron,  or  lead,  were  so  employed.  With 
the  introduction  of  the  mortar,  however,  which 
was  probably  not  long  after  the  invention  of  can 
non,  irregularly-shaped  pieces  of  stone  or  metal 
came  to  be  used,  and  at  the  siege  of  Naples  by 
Charles  VIII. ,  in  1435,  we  first  hear  of  shells  or 
hollow  shot  being  used.  The  word,  therefore,  as 
applied  to  the  projectiles  of  fire-arms  is  not  now 
inclusive  of  all  the  projectiles  used,  but  only  of  a 
class.  See  BULLET,  SHELL,  SHOT. 

Ball,  with  a  prefix  more  or  less  descriptive  of 
its  purposes,  such  as  fire-ball,  stink-ball,  etc. 
(for  which  see  separate  headings),  denotes  pyro- 
technical  compositions,  or  missiles  filled  with 
mal-odorous  matter. 

BALL  AND  SOCKET.  A  joint,  of  which  the 
inner  part  is  formed  like  a  ball  and  the  outer 
part  is  a  hollow  socket,  inclosing  the  greater 
portion  of  the  ball,  and  fitting  close  upon  it,  but 
allowing  freedom  of  motion  in  every  direction. 

To  BALL  OFF.  To  wind  up  into  a  ball ;  as, 
rope-yarns. 

Ballahou.  A  fast-sailing  schooner,  common 
in  Bermuda  and  the  West  Indies.  The  foremast 
rakes  forward  and  the  mainmast  aft ;  hence  the 
term  ballahou  is  sometimes  applied  to  men-of- 
war  in  which  the  masts  are  not  kept  properly 
stayed,  or  which  are  slovenly  in  other  respects. 

Ballarag.     See  BULLYRA'G. 

Ballast.  A  heavy  substance  employed  to  give 
a  ship  sufficient  hold  on  the  water  to  give  her 
stability.  The  amount  of  ballast  depends  not 
only  on  the  ship's  size  and  cargo,  but  also  on 
her  build.  It  is  not  merely  the  weight  of  ballast 
which  the  mariner  has  to  consider ;  he  is  re 
quired  to  take  into  account  its  distribution. 
To  ballast  a  ship  is  the  act  of  disposing  the  bal 
last  so  that  the  ship  will  maintain  her  proper 
equilibrium,  and  be  neither  too  stiff  nor  too 
crank.  If  she  be  too  stiff  she  will  sail  sluggishly, 
and  her  masts  will  be  endangered  by  her  violent 
rolling.  If  she  be  too  crank  she  will  be  unable 
to  carry  sail  without  the  danger  of  capsizing. 
Stiffness  is  occasioned  by  stowing  the  ballast  well 
down,  which  brings  the  centre  of  gravity  very 
near  the  keel.  Crankness,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
occasioned  by  raising  the  centre  of  gravity  too 

The  object,  therefore,  is  to  so  place  the  ballast, 
neither  too  high  nor  too  low,  neither  too  near 
the  head  nor  too  far  aft,  that  the  ship  may  be 


BALL AST AGE 


BALTHEUS 


brought  down  so  that  the  surface  of  the  water 
will  be  brought  nearly  to  the  extreme  breadth 
amidships. 

The  cargo  and  ballast  are  considered  together, 
the  quantity  and  distribution  of  the  latter  being 
made  dependent  upon  the  former.  In  a  man-of- 
war  the  ballast  is  permanent,  and  is  made  sub 
servient  to  the  guns  and  other  top-weights  she  is 
required  to  carry.  The  substances  used  as  bal 
last  are  various,  chiefly  iron,  stone,  gravel,  sand, 
mud,  and  water. 

A  ship  is  said  to  be  in  ballast  when  she  carries 
no  weight  except  the  ballast,  crew,  passengers, 
provisions  for,  and  baggage  of,  crew  and  pas 
sengers. 

To  LOSE  ONE'S  BALLAST  is  to  become  top- 
heavy  from  conceit. 

To  HEAVE  or  SHOOT  BALLAST  is  to  dump 
mud  or  gravel  ballast  overboard.  In  order  to 
prevent  the  filling  up  of  harbors  and  channels 
certain  regulations  have  been  made  at  most 
maritime  places  for  the  disposal  of  ballast.  The 
ballast  is  said  to  shift  when  from  violent  rolling 
it  is  removed  from  its  original  position. 

BAG-WATER  BALLAST  is  contained  in  water 
proof  bags  laid  upon  the  floor  of  a  vessel,  and  tilled 
or  emptied  by  means  of  a  pump  and  hose. 

BOTTOM-WATER  BALLAST  is  confined  beneath 
a  false  bottom  in  the  vessel. 

HOLD- WATER  BALLAST  is  contained  in  a  large 
receptacle,  which  may  be  filled  with  cargo  when 
the  ship  is  not  in  ballast. 

PIG-IRON  BALLAST  is  supplied  to  men-of-war. 
It  has  the  great  advantage  of  taking  up  but  little 
space. 

SHINGLE  BALLAST  is  composed  of  coarse 
gravel. 

TANK-WATER  BALLAST  is  contained  in  two 
fore-and-aft  tanks,  which  can  be  easily  filled  and 
emptied  by  means  of  a  pump. 

Ballastage.  A  duty  paid  for  taking  up 
ballast  from  a  port. 

Ballast-basket.  A  basket  made  of  osier  for 
the  measure  and  transport  of  ballast. 

Ballast-lighter.  A  large  flat-floored  barge, 
for  heaving  up  and  carrying  ballast. 

Ballast-mark.  The  horizontal  line  described 
by  the  surface  of  the  water  on  the  body  of  a  ship, 
when  she  is  immersed  with  her  usual  weight  of 
ballast  on  board. 

Ballast-master.  A  person  appointed  to  see 
the  port-regulations  in  respect  to  ballast  carried 
out. 

Ballast-ports.  Square  holes  cut  in  the  sides 
of  merchantmen  for  taking  in  ballast. 

Ballast-trim.     Trim  when  in  ballast. 

Ballatoon.  A  sort  of  long  heavy  luggage- 
vessel  of  upwards  of  a  hundred  tons,  employed  on 
the  river  between  Moscow  and  the  Caspian  Sea. 

Ball-cartridge.     See  CARTRIDGE. 

Ball-clay.  Stiff  clay  brought  up  by  the  flukes 
of  the  anchor. 

Ballistic  Pendulum.  An  instrument  invented 
by  Robins  for  measuring  the  force  or  velocity  of 
cannon-  and  musket-balls.  To  one  extremity  of 
an  iron  bar  was  fixed  a  heavy  cubical  block  of 
wood,  lined  at  the  back  with  iron.  A  transverse 
bar  of  iron  at  the  other  extremity  of  the  first 
bar  served  as  an  axis  of  suspension,  in  which  the 
pendulum  swung  freely,  backwards  and  forwards. 
In  order  to  measure  the  extent  of  the  vibration 
which  the  pendulum  made  after  receiving  the 


impact  of  the  projectile,  a  ribbon  was  attached 
to  the  lower  end  of  the  pendulum,  passing  loosely 
through  an  orifice  in  a  horizontal  bar  in  the 
frame-work  ;  when  the  pendulum  was  raised  it 
drew  the  ribbon  along  with  it,  and  the  quantity 
which  thus  passed  through  the  orifice  measured 
the  chord  of  the  arc  of  vibration.  The  instru 
ment  now  used  consists  of  a  case  or  mortar  of 
cast  iron,  partly  filled  with  sand-bags  or  block- 
lead,  suspended  by  wrought-iron  bars  from  an 
axis  working  on  knife-edges  on  V-supports,  and 
the  arc  of  vibration  is  measured  on  a  copper  arc 
by  an  index  carrying  a  vernier.  If  such  a  pen 
dulum,  when  at  rest,  be  struck  by  a  body  of  a 
known  weight,  and  the  vibration  which  the  pen 
dulum  makes  after  the  blow  be  known,  the  ve 
locity  of  the  striking  body  may  thence  be  deter 
mined.  The  quantity  of  motion  of  the  projectile 
before  impact  is  equal  to  that  of  the  pendulum 
and  projectile  after  impact.  See  ELECTRO-BAL 
LISTICS,  GUN  PENDULUM. 

Ballistics.  The  art  or  science  of  throwing 
weapons  by  means  of  engines. 

Balloen.  A  Siamese  state-galley  built  to 
imitate  a  sea-monster,  and  pulling  seventy  to 
a  hundred  oars  of  a  side. 

Ballon.  A  brigantine-rigged  vessel  used  in 
Siam,  and  made  of  a  single  tree. 

Balloon.  A  bag  of  silk  or  other  fabric  filled 
with  gas  specifically  lighter  than  the  atmos 
phere,  and  hence  deriving  a  tendency  to  ascend. 

Balloon-fish.  A  fish  of  the  genus  Diodon, 
having  the  power  of  inflating  its  body  until  it 
becomes  almost  globular. 

Balloon -jib.     See  JIB. 

Ballot.  To  bound  from  side  to  side;  as,  a 
shot  in  the  bore  of  a  gun. 

Ballow.     Deep  water  inside  a  shoal  or  bar. 

Bally.  A  Teutonic  word  for  inclosure,  now 
prefixed  to  many  seaports  in  Ireland,  as  Bally- 
castle,  Ballyhaven,  etc. 

Balsa  (Sp.).  1.  A  pool;  a  lake.  2.  A  raft, 
or  float,  for  conveying  goods  or  persons  across  a 
river.  It  seems  probable  that  the  original  sig 
nification  of  a  pool  or  lake  was  converted  into 
the  means  employed  to  cross  lakes  or  rivers.  On 
the  west  coast  of  South  America  balsas  are  made 
of  bullocks'  hides  sewn  together  over  a  frame 
work  in  two  cylinders  joined  together,  not  un 
like  in  form  to  the  jaw-bone  of  a  horse.  An 
other  kind  of  balsa  is  made  of  several  pieces  of 
an  extremely  light  wood,  sharpened  at  the  ends 
and  lashed  together,  with  transverse  slats  to  hold 
them  singly  in  position.  Both  these  means  were 
employed  centuries  ago  for  landing  in  the  surf. 
The  same  primitive  arrangement  of  the  second 
kind,  using  a  sail,  is  the  fishing-boat  met  far  out 
of  sight  of  land  on  the  coast  of  Brazil.  The 
general  acceptation  of  the  word  on  this  con 
tinent  is  either  two  or  more  inflated  bags  of 
india-rubber,  or  long  casks  of  metal  or  wood 
secured  together  in "  pairs,  held  some  distance 
apart  by  a  frame-work,  or  logs  of  light  wood 
held  together  as  before  described,  usually  em 
ployed  where  the  eurf  is  heavy.  3.  Any  form 
of  flotation  capable  of  propulsion  not  designed 
for  temporary  use,  differing  from  a  raft  in  that 
the  latter  is  a  mere  temporary  expedient.  See 
LIFE-BOATS  and  LIFP>RAFTS. — Daniel  Ammen, 
Rear- Admiral  U.S.N. 

Baltheus  Orionis.  The  three  bright  stars 
constituting  Orion's  Belt. 


BALTIMOKE 


63 


BANKSAL 


Baltimore,  a  city  and  port  of  entry  of  Mary 
land,  is  on  the  estuary  of  the  Patapsco  River,  12 
miles  from  its  entrance  into  Chesapeake  Bay, 
and  250  miles  by  ship-channel  from  the  sea. 
Lat.  39°  17'  N. ;  Ion.  76°  37/  W.  The  harbor 
is  spacious  and  secure.  The  facilities  for  the 
transfer  of  freight  from  the  railways  to  the  ship 
ping  are  excellent,  and  in  recent  years  Che  city 
has  become  one  of  the  leading  places  of  export 
in  the  United  States.  Steamship  lines  connect 
it  with  Liverpool,  Bremen,  and  the  principal 
domestic  ports.  Pop.  330,000. 

Balusters.  The  ornamental  pillars  of  the 
balconies  or  galleries  of  ships. 

Bamba.  A  commercial  shell  of  value  on  the 
Gold  Coast  of  Africa. 

Bamboo.  A  plant  of  the  family  of  grasses, 
and  genus  Bambusa,  growing  in  tropical  coun 
tries.  Bamboo  arundlnacea  has  a  round,  straight, 
hollow,  woody,  jointed  stem  ;  it  grows  to  the 
height  of  forty  feet  and  upward.  Old  stalks  are 
five  or  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  are  so  hard 
and  durable  that  they  are  used  in  the  manufac 
ture  of  agricultural  implements,  and  in  building 
houses  and  ships.  Bamboo  is  in  general  use  in 
China  for  masts  of'junks,  hence  the  pidgin-Eng 
lish  expressions,  "two  piecee  bamboo"  and 
"  three  piecee  bamboo"  for  brig-rigged  and  full- 
rigged  vessels. 

Bamboozle.  To  deceive ;  to  play  low  tricks 
upon.  To  decoy  the  enemy  by  hoisting  false 
colors. 

Banana.  A  species  of  the  genus  Musa  and 
its  fruit. 

Band.  An  iron  hoop  around  a  mast  or  yard. 
A  company  of  musicians  allowed  to  a  ship  or 
navy-yard.  See  REEF-BAND,  ROBAND. 

BANDSMAN.     A  member  of  the  band. 

MASTER  OF  THE  BAND.  The  leader  of  the 
band. 

Bandage.  A  fillet,  roller,  or  swath  used  in 
dressing  wounds. 

Bandala.  The  fibre  from  which  the  Manilla 
white  rope  is  made.  It  is  an  outer  layer  of  the 
abaca,  a  variety  of  the  plantain.  See  ROPE. 

Bandaleer,  or  Bandoleer.  A  large  leathern 
belt  thrown  over  the  right  shoulder  and  dangling 
under  the  left  arm,  worn  by  ancient  musketeers 
for  sustaining  their  musket.  A  small  leather 
case,  of  which  every  musketeer  wore  twelve,  sus 
pended  by  a  belt. 

Banded-drum.     See  GRUNTER. 

Banderole.  A  small  streamer  or  banner  car 
ried  at  the  mast-head  of  a  vessel,  or  at  the  end  of 
a  pike  or  lance. 

Band-fish,  or  Ribbon-fish.  A  popular  name 
of  the  Gymnetrus  genus. 

Bandle.     An  Irish  measure  of  two  feet. 

Bang.  An  astringent  and  narcotic  drug  made 
from  the  large  leaves  and  capsules  of  the  wild 
hemp  (Cannabis  Indica}.  A  mixture  of  opium, 
hemp-leaves,  and  tobacco,  of  an  intoxicating 
quality,  chewed  and  smoked  by  the  Malays  and 
other  people  in  the  East. 

Bange.     Light,  fine  rain. 

Bangkok,  capital  of  Siam,  on  the  Menam,  20 
miles  from  its  mouth.  Lat.  13°  38'  N. ;  Ion.  100° 
34'  E.  Steamers  ply  hence  to  Singapore  and 
Hong  Kong.  Value  of  exports  in  1877,  $8,200,000; 
of  imports,  $7,500,000.  Vessels  of  250  tons  come 
up  to  the  town.  Pop.  500,000. 

Bangles.     The  hoops  of  a  spar.     The  rings  on 


the  wrists  and  ankles  of  Oriental  people,  chiefly 
worn  by  females. 

Bangor.  A  city  and  port  of  entry  in  Maine, 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Penobscot  River,  about 
60  miles  from  the  ocean.  Lat.  44°  48'  N. ;  Ion. 
68°  47'  W.  It  is  the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
Penobscot  River,  which  traverses  extensive  forests 
of  pine,  cedar,  etc.  The  average  quantity  of 
lumber  shipped  annually  from  Bangor  is  about 
200,000,000  feet.  Pop.  about  23,000. 

Banian.     A  sailor's  colored  frock. 

Banian-,  or  Banyan- days.  A  cant  term  among 
sailors  to  denote  those  days  on  which  meat  does 
not  form  a  part  of  the  ration.  The  term  is  de 
rived  from  a  religious  sect  in  the  East  who  never 
eat  flesh. 

Banian-,  or  Banyan-tree.  The  India  fig-tree 
(Ficus  Indica).  The  tendrils  from  the  branches 
take  root  on  reaching  the  ground,  and  form  new 
stocks,  till  they  cover  a  space  of  an  acre  or  more. 
Religious  rites,  from  which  women  are  excluded, 
are  there  performed. 

Banjo.  The  brass  frame  in  which  a  screw- 
propeller  is  hung. 

Bank.  The  border  or  margin  of  a  river  or 
lake.  A  shoal  composed  of  sand,  mud,  or  gravel. 
A  seat  or  bench  for  rowers  in  a  galley.  The  ,com- 
mon  galleys  had  25  banks  on  each  side,  with  one 
oar  to  each  bank,  and  four  men  to  each  oar.  The 
galeasses  had  32  banks  on  a  side,  and  six  or  seven 
rowers  to  each  bank.  See  GALLEY. 

To  DOUBLE-BANK  AN  OAR  is  to  set  two  men 
to  pulling  one  oar. 

A  SINGLE-BANKED  BOAT  is  one  in  which  a 
thwart  is  occupied  by  one  man. 

A  DOUBLE-BANKED  BOAT  is  one  in  which  two 
rowers  sit  on  the  same  thwart. 

Banka.  A  canoe  of  the  Philippines  consisting 
of  a  single  piece. 

Banker.  A  vessel  engaged  in  the  cod-fishery 
on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland. 

Bankerk,  Joseph  van  Trappen.  A  Dutch 
admiral,  born  at  Flushing  about  1590;  fought  in 
the  battle  of  Dunkirk,  and  defeated  the  Portu 
guese  fleet  near  Brazil  in  1647.  Died  on  his 
voyage  home  the  same  year. 

Bank  Fires.  To  allow  the  fires  in  the  furnace 
to  burn  down  low,  and  then  cut  off  the  supply 
of  oxygen  by  covering  the  fires  with  ashes  and 
closing  the  doors  of  the  furnace  and  ash-pit.  By 
this  means  fuel  will  be  saved,  and  in  an  emer 
gency  fires  can  be  spread  and  steam  generated 
with  great  rapidity. 

Bank-harbor.  A  harbor  protected  from  the 
violence  of  the  sea  by  banks  of  sand,  mud,  or 
gravel. 

Bankhead,  John  Pine,  Captain  U.S. N.  Born 
in  South  Carolina,  August  3,  1821.  Entered  as  a 
midshipman  August  6,  1838,  became  a  passed 
midshipman  in  1844,  a  lieutenant  in  1852,  a  com 
mander  in  1862,  and  a  captain  in  1866.  Died 
at  Aden,  Arabia,  April  27,  1869.  In  command 
of  the  gunboat  "Pembina,"  November  7,  1861, 
at  the  battle  of  Port  Royal,  and  subsequent 
operations  on  the  coast  of  South  Carolina.  In 
command  of  the  original  ""Monitor"  when  she 
foundered  off  Cape  Hatteras,  December  31,  1863. 

Bank-hook.  A  large  fish-hook  laid  baited  in 
running  water  with  line  attached  to  the  bank. 

Banking.  A  general  term  applied  to  fishing 
on  the  great  bank  of  Newfoundland. 

Banksal,  or  Banksaul,  and  in  Calcutta  spelled 


BANNAG 


64 


BARK 


bankshall.  A  shop,  office,  or  other  place,  for 
transacting  business.  A  square  inclosure  at  the 
pearl-fishery.  A  beach  store-house  wherein  ships 
deposit  their  rigging  and  furniture  while  under 
going  repair.  A  place  where  small  commercial 
courts  and  arbitrations  are  held. 

Bannag.  A  name  for  a  white  trout ;  a  sea- 
trout. 

Bannak-fluke.  A  name  of  the  turbot,  as  dis 
tinguished  from  the  halibut. 

Banner.  A  small  square  flag  edged  with  fringe. 

Bannerol.     A  little  banner  or  streamer. 

Bannock.  A  name  given  to  a  certain  hard 
ship-biscuit. 

Banstickle.  A  diminutive  fish,  called  also 
the  three-spined  stickle-back  (Gasterosteus  acu- 
leatus). 

Baptism.  A  ceremony  practiced  on  sailors 
and  passengers  on  their  first  crossing  the  equator  : 
a  riotous  and  ludicrous  custom,  which  from  the 
violence  of  its  ducking,  shaving,  and  other  prac 
tical  jokes,  is  becoming  annually  less  in  vogue. 
It  is  esteemed  a  usurpation  of  privilege  to  bap 
tize  on  crossing  the  tropics. 

Bar.  A  boom  formed  of  huge  trees,  or  spars 
lashed  together,  moored  transversely  across  a 
port,  to  prevent  entrance  or  egress.  The  short 
bits  of  bar-iron,  about  half  a  pound  each,  used  as 
the  medium  of  traffic  on  the  Negro  coast.  An 
accumulated  shoal  or  bank  of  sand,  shingle, 
gravel,  or  other  uliginous  substances,  thrown  up 
by  the  sea  to  the  mouth  of  a  river  or  harbor. 
The  shore  on  which  the  deposition  of  sediment 
is  taking  place  will  be  flat,  whilst  the  opposite 
one  is  steep.  It  is  along  the  side  of  the  latter  that 
the  deepest  channel  of  the  river  lies  ;  and  in  the 
line  of  this  channel,  but  without  the  points  that 
form  the  mouth  of  the  river,  will  be  the  bar.  If 
both  the  shores  are  of  the  same  nature,  which 
seldom  happens,  the  bar  will  lie  opposite  the 
middle  of  the  channel.  Rivers  in  general  have 
what  may  be  deemed  a  bar,  although  it  may  not 
rise  high  enough  to  impede  the  navigation, — for 
the  increased  deposition  that  takes  place  when 
the  current  slackens  must  necessarily  form  a 
bank.  Bars  of  small  rivers  may  be  deepened  by 
means  of  stockades  to  confine  the  river  cur 
rent,  and  prolong  it  beyond  the  natural  points 
of  the  river's  mouth  ;  they  operate  to  remove  the 
place  of  deposition  farther  out,  and  into  deeper 
water.  Bars,  however,  act  as  breakwaters  in 
most  instances,  and  consequently  secure  smooth 
water  within  them.  The  deposit  in  all  curvilin 
ear  or  serpentine  rivers  will  always  be  found  at 
the  point  opposite  to  the  curve  into  which  the 
ebb  strikes  and  rebounds,  deepening  the  hollow 
and  depositing  on  the  tongue.  Therefore  if  it 
be  deemed  advisable  to  change  the  position  of  a 
bar,  it  may  in  some  cases  be  aided  by  works 
projected  on  the  last  curve  seaward.  By  such 
means  a  parallel  canal  may  be  formed  which  will 
admit  vessels  under  the  cover  of  the  bar. 

BAR-HARBOR.  One  which  from  a  bar  at  its 
entrance  cannot  admit  ships  of  great  draft,  or 
can  only  do  so  at  high  water.  Bar-shallow, 
a  term  sometimes  applied  to  a  portion  of  a  bar 
which  has  less  water  on  it  than  other  parts  of  the 
bar. 

Baracoota.  A  tropical  fish  (Sphyrcena  bara- 
citda),  considered  in  the  West  Indies  to  be  dan 
gerously  poisonous  at  times,  nevertheless  eaten, 
and  deemed  the  sea-salmon. 


Barangay.  An  East  Indian  vessel  propelled 
by  oars. 

^Barbadoes  Tar.  A  mineral  pitch  or  petro 
leum,  which  flows  from  the  earth  or  rocks  in 
many  places. 

Barbalot.     The  barbel.     Also,  a  puffin. 

Barb-bolt.  A  rag-bolt.  A  bolt  with  a  jagged 
end  to  make  it  hold  when  it  cannot  be  clinched. 

Barbel.  A  fresh-water  fish  found  in  many 
European  rivers ;  its  upper  jaw  is  furnished 
with  four  beard-like  appendages. 

Barber.  A  singular  vapor  rising  in  streams 
from  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  condensed 
breath  on  the  beard  and  moustache.  A  rating 
on  the  ship's  books  for  the  man  who  shaves  the 
people. 

Barbette  (Fr.}.  A  mound  on  which  guns  are 
mounted  to  fire  over  the  top  of  the  parapet. 
Guns  are  in  barbette  when  they  are  mounted  so 
as  to  fire  over  a  parapet,  and  not  through  an 
embrasure.  Barbette  gun,  or  barbette  battery,  a 
gun  or  battery  mounted  in  barbette.  Barbette 
carriage,  a  carriage  which  permits  of  its  gun 
being  mounted  in  barbette. 

Barca  (Sp.).     A  small  two-masted  vessel. 

Barca-longa  (Sp.}.  A  large  Spanish  coasting 
vessel  with  pole-masts  and  lug-sails.  The  name 
is  also  applied  to  Spanish  gunboats. 

Barcarolle.  A  popular  song  sung  by  Vene 
tian  gondoliers. 

Barcelona.  A  seaport  town  of  Spain.  Lat. 
(mole  light)  41°  22'  36"  N. ;  Ion.  2°  II'  E.  The 
port  is  commodious,  two  moles  having  been  built 
for  its  improvement.  Pop.  225,000. 

Barces.  Short  guns  with  large  bores,  for 
merly  used  in  ships. 

Barchetta.  A  small  bark  for  transporting 
provisions. 

Barcon.     A  Mediterranean  lighter. 

Bareka.     A  small  barrel,  spelled  also  barika. 

Bare  poles.  A  vessel  at  sea  is  said  to  be 
under  bare  poles  when  no  sail  is  set;  in  which 
case  she  may  be  either  lying-to,  or  scudding 
before  the  gale. 

Barge.  A  vessel  or  boat  of  state  elegantly 
furnished.  A  double-decked  passenger  or  freight 
boat  having  no  power  of  its  own,  but  towed  by  a 
steamboat.  A  long  double-banked  boat  of  spa 
cious  construction  for  the  use  of  flag-officers.  A 
spacious  light-draft  river-boat  for  the  transporta 
tion  of  heavy  merchandise. 

BARGEES.  The  crews  of  canal-boats  and  river- 
barges. 

BARGE-MATE.  The  officer  who  steers  a  boat 
of  state  on  occasions  of  ceremony. 

BARGE-MEN,  or  BARGES.  Picked  men  who 
pull  the  barges. 

BARGET.     An  old  term  for  a  small  barge. 

Bari.  A  city  and  seaport  of  Italy,  on  a  penin 
sula  in  the  Adriatic.  Lat.  41°  7'*52"  N.  ;  Ion. 
16°  53'  4"  E.  The  quay  and  roadstead  are  good, 
and  the  harbor  has  been  much  improved  of  late. 
Pop.  52,000. 

Barilla.  A  sea-shore  or  maritime  plant  from 
which  soda  is  made.  In  commerce  this  name  is 
applied  to  the  impure  carbonate  of  soda  made  by 
burning  certain  maritime  plants.  See  ALG^E. 

Bark,  or  Barque.  Any  small  vessel.  A 
three-masted  vessel  square-rigged  on  the  fore 
and  main,  with  fore-and-aft  sails  on  the  mizzen- 
mast.  Bark-rigged,  rigged  as  a  bark,  with  no 
square-sails  on  the  mizzen-mast. 


BAKKANTINE 


65 


BAROMETER 


Barkantine,  or  Barquantine.  A  three-masted 
vessel  square-rigged  on  the  fore-mast,  and  fore- 
and-aft  rigged  on  the  main-  and  mizzen-masts. 

Barkers.  An  old  term  for  lower  deck  guns 
and  pistols. 

Barkey.  A  sailor's  term  of  endearment  for 
the  ship  to  which  he  belongs. 

Barking-irons.     Large  dueling  pistols. 

Barling.     An  old  term  for  the  lamprey. 

Barling-spars.  Spars  fit  for  any  small  mast 
or  yard. 

Barnacle  (Conch.).  A  species  of  the  Bala- 
nidce,  a  family  of  sessile  crustaceans.  The  shells 
are  common  along  sea-shores,  where  they  adhere 
to  rocks,  timber,  and  vessels.  (Ornith.)  A  spe 
cies  of  goose  (Anas  lucopsis)  frequenting  the 
northern  seas  in  summer  and  migrating  south 
wards  in  winter.  Formerly  the  strange  notion 
prevailed  that  they  grew  out  of  the  barnacles  at 
tached  to  ships  ;  hence  the  name. 

Barnstable  (Mass.).  A  port  of  entry  on  a 
bay  of  the  same  name,  which  is  a  part  of  Cape 
Cod  Bay.  Pop.  about  430,  mostly  engaged  in  the 
coast-trade  and  fisheries. 

Barometer  (Gr.  baros,  weight,  and  metron, 
measure).  An  instrument  for  measuring  the 
weight  or  pressure  of  the  atmosphere.  The  dis 
covery  of  the  instrument  resulted  from  an  appli 
cation,  made  to  Galileo  by  workmen  engaged  in 
preparing  a  suction  pump  for  a  deep  well,  to 
know  why,  notwithstanding  great  care  in  form 
ing  and  fitting  the  valves  and  piston,  the  water 
would  not  rise  higher  than  about  32  English 
feet.  In  that  age  the  doctrine  of  a  plenum  was 
an  axiom  in  philosophy  ;  and  the  ascent  of  water 
in  the  barrel  of  the  pump  was  universally  as 
cribed  to  nature's  horror  of  a  vacuum;  Galileo 
therefore  contented  himself  with  replying  that  the 
power  of  nature  to  overcome  a  vacuum  was  lim 
ited,  and  did  not  exceed  the  pressure  of  a  column 
of  water  32  feet  in  height.  Before  his  death, 
however,  which  happened  soon  after,  in  1642,  he 
earnestly  recommended  to  his  pupil  Torricelli  to 
undertake  the  investigation  of  the  subject.  Tor 
ricelli,  suspecting  the  true  cause  of  the  suspension 
of  the  water,  namely,  the  weight  of  the  atmos 
phere,  conceived  the  idea  of  trying  the  experi 
ment  with  mercury.  He  perceived  that  if  the 
weight  of  the  atmosphere  forms  a  counterpoise 
to  a  column  of  water  of  32  feet,  it  must  also 
counterpoise  a  column  of  mercury  of  about  28 
inches  in  height,  the  weight  of  mercury  being 
about  14  times  greater  than  that  of  water. 
Having  procured  a  glass  tube  of  about  3  feet  in 
length  and  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter, 
hermetically  sealed  at  one  end,  he  filled  it  with 
mercury;  and  covering  the  open  end  with  the 
finger,  he  immersed  it  in  an  open  vessel  contain 
ing  mercury.  On  bringing  the  tube  to  the  verti 
cal  position,  and  removing  the  finger,  the  mer 
cury  instantly  sank,  leaving  a  vacuum  at  the  top 
of  the  tube,  and  after  making  several  oscillations, 
stood  in  the  tube  at  the  height  of  about  28  inches 
above  the  surface  of  that  in  the  vessel.  On  cov 
ering  the  mercury  in  the  vessel  with  a  portion  of 
water,  and  raising  the  tube  till  the  lower  end 
came  into  contact  with  the  water,  the  mercury 
all  ran  out,  and  the  water  rushed  up  to  the  top 
of  the  tube.  This  experiment,  called  after  its 
author,  the  Torricellian  experiment,  demonstrated 
that  the  mercury  was  sustained  in  the  tube,  and 
the  .water  in  the  barrel  of  the  pump,  by  exactly 


the  same  counterpoise,  whatever  the  nature  of  it 
might  be.  Torricelli  died  shortly  after  without 
completing  his  discovery,  but  the  fame  of  his 
experiment  attracted  to  the  subject  the  attention 
of  philosophers  in  other  countries  ;  among  others 
the  celebrated  Pascal.  After  various  experi 
ments,  all  of  which  tended  to  establish  the  press 
ure  of  the  atmosphere,  it  occurred  to  Pascal  that 
if  the  mercurial  column  was  really  supported  by 
atmospheric  pressure  it  must  be  affected  by  the 
weight  of  the  superincumbent  mass  of  air,  and 
consequently  be  "diminished  at  considerable  ele 
vations.  Assisted  by  his  brother-in-law,  Perier, 
he  conclusively  established  by  experiments  the 
correctness  of  the  theory,  and  thereupon  pro 
posed  the  barometer  as  an  instrument  for  meas 
uring  the  height  of  mountains,  or  the  relative 
altitudes  of  places  above  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
"While  Pascal,  therefore,  is  justly  credited  with 
the  practical  demonstration  of  the  value  of  the 
barometer  in  the  determination  of  heights,  it  is 
claimed  that  Claudio  Beriguardi,  at  Pisa,  had 
made  the  same  application  of  the  instrument  five 
years  before;  and  it  appears  that  Alhazen,  the 
Saracen,  A.D.  1100,  was  aware  that  the  atmos 
phere  decreases  in  density  with  increase  of  height. 

The  barometer  in  its  ordinary  form  consists  of 
a  tube  34  inches  in  length,  closed  at  the  top,  ex 
hausted  of  air,  and  with  its  lower  end  immersed 
in  a  cup  of  mercury,  which  the  pressure  of  the 
atmosphere  causes  to  ascend  in  the  tube.  The 
height  of  the  mercurial  column  varies  with 
changes  in  the  weight  of  the  atmosphere,  and  a 
graduated  scale  alongside  the  tube,  embracing 
the  range  of  oscillation,  enables  the  variations 
to  be  noted. 

In  all  barometric  observations  there  are,  in 
general,  two  essential  corrections  to  be  made: 
one  for  capillarity,  or  depression  of  the  mercury 
in  the  tube,  and  the  other  for  temperature.  The 
following  are  the  corrections  for  tubes  of  different 
diameters  according  to  the  theory  of  Mr.  Ivory: 

Diam.  of  tube.      Depression.  Diam.  of  tube.      Depression. 

Inches.  Inches.  Inches.  Inches. 

.10  .1403  .40  .0153 

.15  .0863  ,          .45  .0112 

.20  .0581  .50  .0083 

.25  .0407  .60  .0044 

.30  .0292  .70  .0023 

.35  .0211  .80  .0012 

In  siphon  barometers  (so  called  from  their 
shape),  having  both  branches  of  the  same  di 
ameter,  the  depression  is  equal  at  both  ends ; 
consequently  the  effect  is  destroyed,  and  no 
correction  is  required.  The  correction  for  the 
temperature,  which  is  the  most  important,  de 
pends  on  the  expansion  of  the  mercury  and  the 
expansion  of  the  scale  on  which  the  divisions  are 
marked ;  this  latter  expansion  being  very  small, 
is  disregarded.  In  order  to  ascertain  the  neces 
sary  correction  for  expansion  of  the  mercury,  a 
thermometer  must  be  attached  to  the  barometer 
and  observed  at  the  same  time.  The  rule  usually 
followed  is  to  "subtract  the  ten-thousandth  part 
of  the  observed  altitude  for  every  degree  of  Fah 
renheit  above  32°. ' '  Calculated  correction  tables 
are  published. 

THE  ANEROID  BAROMETER  (Gr.  a,  without, 
and  neros,  a  fluid).  In  this  instrument  the  vary 
ing  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  is  indicated,  not 
by  the  varying  height  of  a  column  of  fluid,  but 
by  the  compression  and  expansion  of  a  small 
metal  vessel  from  which  nearly  all  the  air  has 


BAKOMETER-GATJGE 


66 


BARRY 


been  exhausted.  Its  external  appearance  is  that 
of  a  circular  brass  box  having  a  dial  face,  the 
graduations  of  which  are  pointed  out  by  a  finger, 
which  is  moved  by  machinery  attached  to  the 
elastic  nearly  exhausted  vessel  fixed  within.  At 
the  back  of  the  instrument  is  a  screw  for  the  pur 
pose  of  adjusting  its  indications  by  reference  to 
the  mercurial  barometer.  The  aneroid  requires 
to  be  thus  originally  set,  and  should  be  thus  ad 
justed  from  time  to  time.  It  possesses  the  ad 
vantages  of  being  very  susceptible  and  portable, 
and  is  a  most  convenient  "  weather  glass"  for 
ship's  use.  It  is  also  a  convenient  instrument 
for  roughly  estimating  the  heights  of  mountains. 

For  additional  information  respecting  the  ba 
rometer  and  its  uses,  see  "  Weather  Guides,"  by 
Rear-Admiral  Jenkins. 

Barometer-gauge.  An  appendage  to  a  boiler 
or  condenser. to  indicate  the  state  of  the  vacuum. 

Barquantine.     See  BARKANTINE. 

Barque.     See  BARK. 

Barra-boats.  Vessels  of  the  western  isles  of 
Scotland,  carrying  ten  or  twelve  men.  They  are 
extremely  sharp  fore  and  aft,  having  no  floor, 
but  with  sides  rising  straight  from  the  keel,  so 
that  a  transverse  section  resembles  the  letter  V. 
They  are  swift  and  safe,  for  in  proportion  as  they 
heel  to  a  breeze  their  bearings  are  increased. 

Barrack-smack.  A  corruption  of  Berwick- 
smack  ;  a  word  applied  to  small  Scotch  traders. 

Barracoon.  A  slave  warehouse,  or  an  in- 
closure  where  slaves  are  kept. 

Barrator.  The  master  of  a  ship  who  commits 
any  fraud  in  the  management  of  the  ship,  or  in 
relation  to  his  duties  as  master,  by  which  the 
owners  or  insurers  are  injured. 

Barratry.  A  fraudulent  breach  of  duty  or 
willful  act  of  known  illegality  on  the  part  of  a 
master  of  a  ship,  in  his  character  as  master,  or  of 
the  mariners,  to  the  injury  of  the  owner  of  the 
ship  or  cargo,  and  without  his  consent,  and  it 
includes  every  breach  of  trust  committed  with 
dishonest  views ;  as,  by  running  away  with  a  ship, 
by  scuttling  or  deserting  her,  or  by  embezzling 
her  cargo. 

Barred  Killifish.  A  fish  from  two  to  four 
inches  in  length,  which  frequents  salt-water 
creeks,  floats,  and  the  vicinity  of  wharves. 

Barrel.  The  cylinder  between  the  whelps  and 
the  pawl-rim  constituting  the  main  piece  of  a 
capstan.  The  part  of  the  wheel  on  which  the 
tiller-ropes  are  wound.  The  tube  of  a  fire-arm. 
The  piston-chamber  of  a  pump.  A  cylindrical 
wooden  vessel  or  cask,  greater  in  length  than  in 
breadth,  bulging  in  the  middle,  and  composed 
of  staves  and  headings  held  together  by  hoops 
of  wood  or  iron.  A  measure  of  capacity,  as  31£ 
gallons  of  wine,  36  gallons  of  ale,  or  196  pounds 
of  flour. 

BARREL-BUILDER.  An  old  rating  on  the  ship's 
books,  now  called  cooper. 

BARREL-BULK.  A  measure  used  in  estimating 
capacity  for  freights.  It  is  equal  to  five  cubic 
feet,  or  one-eighth  of  a  ton. 

Barrel-screw.  A  powerful  machine,  consist 
ing  of  two  large  poppets,  or  male  screws,  moved 
by  levers  in  their  heads  upon  a  bank  of  plank, 
with  a  female  screw  at  each  end.  It  is  of  great 
use  in  starting  a  launch. 

Barrier  of  Ice.  Ice  stretching  from  the  land- 
ice  to  the  sea-  or  main  ice,  or  across  a  channel,  so 
as  to  render  it  impassable. 


Barrier  Reefs.  Coral  reefs  that  either  extend 
in  straight  lines  in  front  of  the  shores  of  a  con 
tinent  or  large  island,  or  encircle  smaller  isles, 
in  both  cases  being  separated  from  the  land  by  a 
channel  of  water.  Barrier  reefs  exist  in  New 
South  Wales,  the  Bermudas,  Laccadives,  Mal 
dives,  etc. 

Barren,  James,  Commodore  U.S.N.  Born 
in  Virginia  in  1769.  Went  to  sea  early  in  life, 
and  served  with  his  father  in  the  early  marine  of 
Virginia,  commanding  the  "  Patriot."  Entered 
the  navy  as  lieutenant,  March  9,  1798,  and 
cruised  under  Barry,  in  the  "  United  States,"  in 
the  West  Indies,  and  afterwards  to  France.  Pro 
moted  to  captain,  May  22,  1799,  commanded  the 
"President"  (44)  in  Dale's  squadron  to  Tripoli, 
and  returned  in  Morris's  squadron  in  the  "  New 
York"  (36)  in  1802.  Transferred  to  the  "  Chesa 
peake"  (38),  and  returned  home  in  her.  Again 
went  to  the  Mediterranean,  in  the  "  Essex"  (32), 
under  the  flag  of  his  brother,  S.  Barren,  and  was 
transferred  to  the  "President"  (44)  in  1805.  Was 
sixth  captain  on  the  new  navy  list.  Returning 
home  in  1806,  he  was  given  the  "Chesapeake" 
(44),  and  hoisted  a  broad-pennant  on  her  in  June, 
1807.  He  put  to  sea  June  22,  and  was  followed 
out  of  Chesapeake  Bay  by  the  "Leopard"  (50),  an 
English  frigate,  and,  while  unprepared  to  fight, 
was  fired  into  from  that  ship,  after  some  parley 
concerning  search,  and  compelled  to  surrender, 
having  been  wounded.  He  was  tried  on  several 
charges,  found  guilty  of  two,  and  suspended  from 
rank  and  pay  for  five  years,  until  1813.  During 
the  period  of  his  suspension  he  was  absent  from 
the  United  States,  and  on  his  return  became 
involved  in  a  quarrel  with  Commodore  Decatur, 
and  killed  that  officer  in  a  duel,  March  22,  1820, 
himself  being  seriously  wounded.  Resided  in 
Norfolk  until  1825.  Commanded  Philadelphia 
navy-yard,  1825-27 ;  Norfolk  navy-yard,  1827- 
32;  Philadelphia  navy-yard,  1833-37;  wait 
ing  orders,  1838-42.  He  became  the.  senior 
officer  of  the  navy  in  1839.  On  leave  and  wait 
ing  orders  until' his  death,  which  occurred  at 
Norfolk  in  1851,  April  21,  he  being  82  years  old, 
and  having  been  in  the  navy  53  years. — F.  S. 
Bassett,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 

Barry,  John,  Commodore  U.S.N.  Born  in 
Wexford  County,  Ireland,  in  1745.  He  went  to 
sea  in  the  merchant  service  while  yet  young. 
Arriving  in  America  at  the  age  of  15,  he  adopted 
it  as  his  home.  He  received  one  of  the  first  com 
missions  incur  navy.  Commanded  the  "Lex 
ington,"  brig  (16),  the  first  cruiser  to  sail,  and 
captured  the  British  tender  "Edward."  Was 
transferred  to  the  frigate  "  Effingham"  the  same 
year,  and  commissioned  captain,  No.  7  on  the 
list.  Successfully  removed  the  ships  up  the  river 
when  Philadelphia  was  taken,  and  captured  a 
schooner  by  a  bold  dash  with  boats.  Volun 
teered  with  the  army,  and  was  aid  to  General 
Cadwalader  at  Trenton.  Appointed  to  command 
the  "  Raleigh"  (32),  and  being  chased  by  a  British 
squadron,  he  made  a  brave  defense,  but  ran  his 
ship  ashore  and  lost  her. 

Commanded  several  letters  of  marque  in  the 
West  Indies.  Sailed  in  February,  1781,  in 
command  of  the  "  Alliance"  (32),  with  our  min 
ister,  Laurens,  to  France,  and  on  his  return  in 
the  same  year,  May  29,  captured  the  English 
sloop  "  Atalanta"  and  brig  "  Trepassa,"  and  was 
severely  wounded. 


BAKSE 


67 


BAKT 


Sailed  again  in  1781,  conveying  Lafayette  and 
De  Noailles  to  France.  Left  L'Orient  February, 
1782,  and  cruised  in  the  Atlantic.  Returning 
from  Havana  in  March,  he  was  chased  by  three 
English  ships,  but,  engaging  the  first,  so  injured 
her  that  he  was  able  to  escape. 

Sailed  at  intervals  during  the  war  in  letters  of 
marque.  Made  senior  officer  of  the  navy  in 
1794.  In  command  of  the  "  United  States"  (44) 
at  Philadelphia,  and  was  influential  in  having 
set  on  foot  the  construction  of  those  heavy  frigates 
that  won  so  many  victories.  During  the  war 
with  France  he  cruised  in  European  waters  in 
the  "  United  States,"  protecting  our  commerce. 
He  died  at  Philadelphia,  September  13,  1803,  at 
the  age  of  58.  He  was  the  third  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  navy. — F.  S.  Bassett,  Lieutenant 
U.S.N. 

Barse.     The  common  river-perch. 

Bar-shot.  Two  half  balls  joined  together  by 
a  bar  of  iron,  for  cutting  and  destroying  spars 
and  rigging.  "When  whole  balls  are  thus  fitted 
they  are  more  properly  double-headed  shot. 

Bart,  Jean.  Born  at  Dunquerque,  October, 
1650.  Died  in  the  same  place,  April,  1702.  The 
life  of  Jean  Bart  is,  or  was,  a  text-book  in  the 
French  naval  schools,  and  his  memory  has  al 
ways  been  preserved  among  the  French  sea 
faring  population  as  a  type  of  a  French  sailor. 
He  is  to  the  French  navy  what  Bayard  and 
Latour  d'Auvergne  are  to  the  army.  In  the 
English  navy  every  old  prejudice,  as  well  as  the 
custom  of  hard  fighting,  is  said  to  come  down 
from  Benbow,  and  so  in  the  French  navy  all 
such  traditions  are  traced  to  Jean  Bart.  He 
was  a  member  of  a  seafaring  family  of  Dun 
querque,  on  the  very  N.E.  confines  of  France. 
He  was  rather  more  Flemish  than  French,  in  fact. 

His  father  commanded  a  corsaire  (somewhat 
equivalent  to  a  "  letter  of  marque")  out  of  the 
port  of  Dunquerque.  Jean  Bart  went  to  sea  at 
twelve  years  of  age,  and  long  before  his  major 
ity  became  "  second"  of  a  brigantine,  with  the 
euphonious  name  of  the  Cochon  Gras,  or  "  Fat 
Hog,"  which  cruised  in  the  dangerous  naviga 
tion  of  the  English  Channel  as  a  lookout  against 
the  advance  of  the  British  fleet. 

In  1666,  Jean  Bart  entered  the  Dutch  Marine, 
serving  under  the  celebrated  Admiral  de  Ruyter 
in  the  war  with  the  English.  He  returned  home 
in  1672,  having  attained  the  rank  of  lieutenant, 
leaving  the  Dutch  service  on  account  of  war 
breaking  out  between  Holland  and  France. 
Still  a  very  young  man,  he  commenced  his 
career  as  corsaire,  and  for  six  years  his  whole 
sale  captures  of  Dutch  vessels  caused  his  name 
to  be  known  in  all  northern  ports. 

In  1679,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  cele 
brated  Vauban,  Jean  Bart  was  commissioned 
as  lieutenant  de  vaisseait  in  the  French  Royal 
Marine. 

In  1681  he  was  sent  by  Colbert,  in  command 
of  two  frigates,  against  the  Salee  pirates.  He 
made  a  brilliant  cruise,  bringing  back  with  him 
many  important  Moorish  prisoners.  Two  years 
after,  during  the  war  between  France  and  Spain, 
he  made  important  and  successful  cruises  in  the 
Mediterranean,  and  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of 
capitalize  de  fregate.  At  this  time  he  organized 
squadrons  of  fast  frigates  and  corsaires  combined, 
and  so  drilled  them  that  they  were  not  only  able 
to  greatly  interfere  with  the  enemy's  commerce, 


but  were  able  to  unite  and  fight  in  line  upon 
occasion. 

By  this  time  his  reputation  as  a  bold  and  skill 
ful  commander  was  so  well  established  that  his 
services  were  always  sought  for  when  anything 
especially  difficult  or  daring  was  to  be  attempted 
by  sea. 

In  1689  he  convoyed  a  fleet  of  powder  and 
provision  vessels  from  Calais  to  Brest,  fighting 
his  way  down  the  channel  through  a  fleet  of 
English  and  Dutch  cruisers.  During  one  of 
these  fights  he  saw  his  son,  a  child  of  ten  years 
old,  showing  some  trepidation,  and  at  once  had 
him  lashed  to  the  mainmast  until  the  action  was 
over.  This  boy  became  a  vice-admiral  in  the 
French  navy. 

Soon  after  this  Jean  Bart  was,  with  Captain 
the  Chevalier  Forbin,  wounded  and  taken  pris 
oner  in  a  bloody  frigate  action  in  the  channel. 
They  were  taken  to  Plymouth,  but,  owing  to 
the  stubborn  resistance  of  the  men-of-war,  their 
convoy  escaped.  He  was  not  many  days  a  pris 
oner,  but  succeeded  in  escaping  during  foggy 
weather,  and,  with  Forbin  and  two  or  three 
sailors,  seized  the  yawl  of  a  merchant  vessel,  and 
pulled  for  the  French  coast.  After  forty-eight 
hours  of  exposure  and  excessive  labor,  they 
landed  on  the  coast  of  Brittany,  near  St.  Malo. 
Both  he  and  Forbin  were  made  capitaines  de  vais- 
seau  for  this  exploit. 

Jean  Bart  was  soon  at  sea  again,  this  time  in 
command  of  a  squadron  of  frigates,  with  which 
he  fought  several  actions  and  made  captures. 

In  1690  he  commanded  the  frigate  "  Alcyon," 
in  Tourville's  fleet,  with  great  approval  from  his 
admiral ;  and,  upon  his  return  from  this  cruise, 
he  was  allowed  to  carry  out  his  idea  of  forming 
a  special  squadron  to  destroy  the  Dutch  com 
merce  in  the  North  Sea  and  in  the  Baltic. 

By  the  time  he  had,  at  Dunquerque,  got 
ready  seven  frigates  and  a  fire-ship,  he  found 
himself  blockaded  by  thirty-five  English  and 
Dutch  vessels.  He  managed,  however,  to  elude 
them  all,  and  to  make  his  cruise,  during  which 
he  burnt  nearly  a  hundred  English  vessels, 
landed  near  Newcastle,  burnt  a  number  of  houses, 
and  returned  safely  to  his  port,  with  his  squadron 
intact  and  laden  with  spoil.  Never  willing  to  be 
idle,  he  was  soon  off  again  into  the  North  Sea, 
this  time  with  only  three  ships,  and  again  re 
turned  with  prizes. 

Jean  Bart's  fame  was  now  such  that  he  was  sent 
for  by  Louis  XIV.,  when  the  brilliant  courtiers 
of  that  august  monarch  were  much  amused  with 
his  brusque  manners  and  ways.  He  had  already 
been  popularly  called  "the  Sea  Bear,"  and  all 
sorts  of  stories"  are  told  of  how  he  bore  himself  in 
the  presence  of  the  "  Sun  of  France,"— how  he 
smoked  his  pipe  in  his  presence,  clapped  the 
princes  of  the  blood  on  the  back,  and  generally 
behaved  as  a  genuine  loup-de-mer.  There  ap 
pears  to  be  little  truth  in  these  relations.  Jean 
Bart  was  no  doubt  of  simple,  plain  manners, 
but  long  before  this  period  he  had  associated 
with  some  of  the  best  men  in  France,  and  he 
had  commanded  fleets  very  successfully.  It  is 
not  likely,  therefore,  that  he  would  have  been 
found  wanting  in  common  courtesy.  The  fact 
appears  to  be  that  the  stories  told  of  his  be 
havior  at  court  were  only  a  corollary  to  those 
popularly  related  of  him,  so  great  was  the  en 
thusiasm  created  by  his  exploits. 


BAKT 


68 


BARTON 


It  has  been  said  by  Eugene  Sue,  in  his  "  His- 
toirede  Marine,"  that  Jean  Bart  could  not  write, 
and  only  signed  his  name  mechanically.  This  is 
not  probable  in  the  case  of  one  who  was  a  good 
navigator.  The  "Archives  de  la  Marine"  show 
exceedingly  well-formed  signatures  of  his,  al 
though  the  letters  themselves  are  written  by  a 
clerk,  as  is  the  case  in  all  services  and  at  all  times. 
The  naval  registers  of  Dunquerque  show  the 
same  thing.  M.  Vanderest,  in  his  "  Histoire  de 
Jean  Bart,"  disposes  of  these  stories  in  an  en 
thusiastic  but  complete  fashion. 

Portraits  of  Jean  Bart  show  him  to  have  been 
a  square-built  man,  of  fair  height,  with  a  good, 
open,  Flemish  countenance,  blue  eyes,  and  light 
hair.  He  spoke  several  languages,  including 
English,  but,  it  is  said,  spoke  French  with  a 
Flemish  accent. 

In  1693,  Louis  XI V.,  wishing  to  repair  the 
disgrace  of  La  Hogue,  gave  Tourville  command 
of  a  new  fleet,  in  which  Jean  Bart  commanded 
the  "  Glorieux,"  and  in  her  fought  at  the  battle 
of  Lagos. 

After  this  he  had  command  of  a  squadron  of 
six  frigates  to  escort  an  immense  convoy  of 
grain,  and  succeeded  in  getting  his  charge  safely 
into  Dunquerque,  after  a  severe  battle  with  the 
Anglo-Dutch  fleet.  By  this  action  he  saved  that 
part  of  France  from  impending  famine  ;  and  the 
event  was  considered  so  important  that  a  medal 
was  struck  to  commemorate  it.  In  the  same 
year  Jean  Bart  took  three  English  frigates  and 
their  convoy  of  transports,  loaded  with  provisions 
and  stores. 

In  1694,  Louis  XIV.  gave  Jean  Bart  lettres 
de  noblesse,  with  the  cross  of  Saint  Louis,  and 
the  right  to  wear  the  fleur-de-lis  in  his  arms. 

In  the  same  year  the  ennobled  sailor  nar 
rowly  missed  capturing,  in  the  North  Sea,  Wil 
liam  of  Orange,  who  was  returning  from  Hol 
land  to  England.  A  curious  speculation  could 
be  elaborated  upon  the  result  of  such  a  capture. 
Certainly  William  would  have  fared  badly  as 
prisoner  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  most  likely  James 
II.  would  have  had  the  English  throne. 

In  1696,  Jean  Bart  went  cruising  in  the  North 
Sea  again,  and  though,  as  usual,  blockaded  in 
Dunquerque  by  a  strong  Anglo-Dutch  fleet,  he 
succeeded  in  eluding  them  and  getting  to  sea. 
Just  north  of  the  Texel  he  encountered  the  Dutch 
Baltic  fleet,  and  captured  their  escort  of  frigates 
and  some  forty  merchant  vessels.  When  about 
to  take  possession  of  them  a  very  superior  force 
of  the  enemy  hove  in  sight,  and  Jean  Bart  was 
obliged  to  burn  his  prizes,  which  he  did  thor 
oughly,  and  then  made  sail  in  retreat  in  line  of 
battle,  the  enemy  not  caring  to  pursue.  His 
thorough  ability  and  boldness  on  this  occasion 
elicited  the  admiration  of  the  very  men  opposed 
to  him.  Forbin,  in  his  "  Memoires,"  pretends 
that  Jean  Bart  was  only  fitted  for  frigate  actions 
and  coups  de  main,  but  we  have  seen  that  he 
handled  squadrons  well,  and  his  dispatches  con 
cerning  such  affairs  were  always  clear  and  well 
considered.  On  his  return  from  this  cruise  Louis 
XIV.  sent  for  him,  and  said,  "Jean  Bart,  I 
have  made  you  chef  d'escadron"  (commodore, — 
a  higher  rank  than  in  our  day).  "  Sire,"  Jean 
Bart  replied,  "you  have  done  well."  In  the 
previous  year  the  "Grand  Monarque"  had  hurt 
Jean  Bart's  feelings  by  telling  him  he  had  not 
done  as  well  as  usual. 


In  1697,  Jean  Bart  took  the  Prince  de  Conti  to 
Dantzic,  where  he  went  in  the  hope  of  obtaining 
the  throne  of  Poland.  On  their  voyage  they 
were  met  by  an  enemy's  squadron  of  no  less  than 
nine  line-of-battle  ships,  but  they  succeeded  in 
escaping  from  them.  The  prince  said,  "  We 
were  near  being  taken!"  "Oh,  no,"  said  Jean 
Bart :  "I  had  my  son  in  the  magazine,  to  blow 
us  up  before  that  should  happen."  The  prince 
was,  naturally,  shocked  at  this,  and  said,  "Your 
remedy  is  worse  than  the  evil !  I  forbid  any 
thing  of  the  kind  while  I  am  on  board."  Conti 
got  safe  to  Dantzic,  but,  as  we  all  know,  effected 
nothing. 

In  1697  occurred  the  peace  of  Ryswick,  and 
then  Jean  Bart,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  had 
a  period  of  repose,  which  he  spent  most  simply, 
with  his  family,  at  Dunquerque. 

As  soon  as  the  war  of  the  Spanish  Succession 
broke  out  he  was  ordered  to  command  a  fleet 
again.  Unfortunately,  in  his  personal  exertions 
in  pressing  on  the  preparations  he  caught  cold, 
had  a  pleurisy,  and  died,  in  April,  1702,  just  at 
the  time  that  France  had  most  need  of  him,  for 
she  was  soon  to  be  brought  to  suffer  great  dis 
asters,  both  by  sea  and  land. 

His  successor  in  the  fleet  never  tried  to  pass  the 
blockade,  as  Jean  Bart  had  done  so  often,  and 
by  so  doing  kept  ten  times  his  number  employed 
against  him. 

Jean  Bart  was  only  fifty-two  years  old  when  he 
died,  and  the  loss  of  no  man  of  his  time  was  more 
deplored. 

In  spite  of  all  his  prizes  he  had  saved  very 
little  money,  but  the  king  gave  his  widow  a  pen 
sion  of  2000  crowns. 

In  1845  a  statue  to  Jean  Bart,  by  the  cele 
brated  David,  was  erected  at  Dunquerque.  As 
has  been  stated,  his  son  became  a  vice-admiral, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  78.  His  grandson  became 
a  chef  d'escadron,  and  died  in  1784,  being  the 
last  of  his  direct  descendants. 

The  last  of  the  descendants  of  his  brother,  and 
the  last  who  bore  the  name  of  the  great  French 
sailor,  died  a  lieutenant  de  vaisseau  in  1843. — 
E.  Shippen, 

Barton,  Wm.  P.  C.,  Surgeon  U.S.  Navy. 
Born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  November  17,  1786. 
He  was  descended  from  Rev.  Thomas  Barton,  an 
Episcopal  clergyman  who  came  to  America  under 
the  patronage  of  the  Penn  family,  and  married 
in  Philadelphia  the  sister  of  David  Rittenhouse, 
the  celebrated  mathematician  and  astronomer, 
and  the  first  president  of  the  Philosophical  So 
ciety.  Dr.  Barton  received  his  classical  educa 
tion  at  Princeton  College,  where  he  graduated 
with  distinction  at  an  early  age.  He  commenced 
the  study  of  medicine  under  the  direction  of  his 
uncle,  Dr.  Benjamin  Smith  Barton,  and  gradu 
ated  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1808. 
After  graduating  Dr.  Barton  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Philadelphia.  He  was 
surgeon  at  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  and  upon 
recommendation  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Benjamin 
Rush  and  Dr.  Physick  he  was  appointed  surgeon 
in  the  navy.  He  was  for  many  years  on  active 
duty,  and  distinguished  himself  in  the  treatment 
of  cases,  and  by  his  great  skill  in  the  perform 
ance  of  difficult  and  delicate  operations.  During 
his  reliefs  from  sea  service  he  was  not  content  to 
pass  his  time  unemployed,  but  devoted  himself 
with  great  professional  ardor  to  the  publication 


BARUTH 


69 


BATED 


of  various  works,  which  acquired  at  the  time 
cpnsiderable  reputation.  Among  others,  his 
work  on  "  Marine  Hospitals"  (published  in  1814) ; 
his  "  Vegetable  Materia  Medica,"  and  "  Flora  of 
North  America,"  with  drawings  from  nature, 
made  by  himself  and  colored  by  his  wife  (pub 
lished  in  1817  and  1818) ;  his  translation  of  the 
work  of  the  celebrated  Gregory  on  the  Influences 
of  climate,  and  other  treatises,  were  extensively 
circulated,  and  gained  for  their  author  consider 
able  celebrity.  He  was  chosen  professor  of  bot 
any  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  became 
a  Fellow  of  the  College  of  Physicians  of  Phila 
delphia,  a  member  of  the  American  Philosophi 
cal  Society,  president  of  the  Linnsean  Society, 
and  honorary  member  and  surgeon  of  the  First 
City  Troop.  Upon  the  creation  of  the  Bureau 
of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  the  navy,  Dr.  Barton 
was  tendered  and  accepted  the  appointment  of 
chief  of  that  bureau.  In  this  position  he  intro 
duced  many  reforms,  corrected  and  abolished 
many  abuses,  and  secured  the  warm  commenda 
tion  and  approval  of  the  government.  He  re 
signed  his  position  as  head  of  the  bureau,  but  re 
tained  his  commission  in  the  navy,  and  had  been 
at  the  time  of  his  death  for  several  years  the  se 
nior  surgeon  of  the  navy.  He  died  at  Philadel 
phia,  February  29,  1856. 

Baruth.  An  East  Indian  measure,  with  a 
corresponding  weight  of  3£  pounds  avoirdupois. 

Base.  The  hemispherical  portion  of  the 
breech  of  a  gun.  The  lowest  part  of  the  perim 
eter  of  a  geometrical  figure.  When  applied  to 
a  delta  it  is  that  edge  of  it  which  is  washed  by 
the  sea,  or  recipient  of  the  deltic  branches.  The 
lowest  part  of  a  mountain  or  chain  of  mountains. 
The  level  line  on  which  any  work  stands,  as  the 
foot  of  a  pillar.  An  old  boat-gun  ;  a  wall-piece 
on  the  musketoon  principle,  carrying  a  5-ounce 
ball. 

BASE-LINE.  In  surveying,  the  base  on  which 
the  triangulation  is  founded.  In  gunnery,  a  line 
traced  around  the  breech  of  a  gun,  which  marks 
the  division  between  the  breech  and  cylinder. 

BASE  OF  OPERATIONS.  That  secure  line  of 
frontier  or  fortresses,  or  strong  country  occupied 
by  troops,  or  of  sea  occupied  by  fleets,  from 
which  forward  movements  are  made,  supplies 
furnished,  and  upon  which  a  retreat  may  be 
made,  if  necessary. 

BASE-RING.  A  molding  around  the  breech 
of  a  gun,  between  the  base  and  first  reenforce. 

Bashaw.  A  Turkish  title  of  honor  and  com 
mand  ;  more  properly  pacha. 

Basil.  The  angle  to  which  the  edge  of  ship 
wrights'  cutting  tools  is  ground  away. 

Basilicus.  A  name  of  Regulus,  or  the  Lion's 
Heart,  a  Leonis ;  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude. 

Basilisk.  An  old  name  for  a  long  48-pounder, 
the  gun  next  in  size  to  the  carthoun :  called 
basilisk  from  the  snakes  or  dragons  sculptured 
in  the  place  of  dolphins.  Also,  in  still  earlier 
times,  a  gun  throwing  an  iron  ball  of  200 
pounds  weight. 

Basillard.     An  old  term  for  a  poniard. 

Basin.  A  wet-dock  provided  with  flood-gates 
for  restraining  the  water,  in  which  shipping  may 
be  kept  afloat  at  all  times  of  tide.  Also,  all  those 
sheltered  spaces  of  water  which  are  nearly  sur 
rounded  with  slopes  from  which  waters  are  re 
ceived  ;  these  receptacles  have  a  circular  shape 
and  narrow  entrance.  Geographically  basins 


may  be  described  as  upper,  lower,  lacustrine, 
fluvial,  mediterranean,  etc. 

Basket-fish.  A  name  for  several  species  of 
Euryale;  a  kind  of  star-fish,  the  arms  of  which 
divide  and  subdivide  many  times,  and  curl  up 
and  intertwine  at  the  ends,  giving  the  whole 
animal  something  of  the  appearance  of  a  round 
basket. 

Basket-hilt.  The  guard  continued  up  the 
hilt  of  a  cutlass,  so  as  to  protect  the  whole  hand 
from  injury. 

Basking  Shark.  So  called  from  being  often 
seen  lying  still  in  the  sunshine.  A  large  carti 
laginous  fish,  the  Squalus  maximus  of  Linnaeus, 
inhabiting  the  Northern  Ocean.  It  attains  a 
length  of  30  feet,  but  is  neither  fierce  nor  vora 
cious.  See  SAIL-FISH, 

Bass,  or  Bast.  A  soft  sedge  or  rush  (Juncus 
Icevis),  of  which  coarse  kinds  of  rope  and  mat 
ting  are  made.  A  Gaelic  term  for  the  blade  of 
an  oar. 

Basse.  A  species  of  perch  (Perca  labrax), 
found  on  the  coast  and  in  estuaries,  commonly 
about  18  inches  long. 

Bassos.  An  old  term  for  shoals.  Rocks 
a- wash,  or  below  water. 

Bast.  The  inner  bark  of  the  lime-tree  or 
linden,  hence  the  cordage  or  mats  made  from 
this  bark.  See  BASS. 

Basta.  A  word  from  the  Italian,  in  former 
use  for  enough. 

Bastard.  A  term  applied  to  all  pieces  of  ord 
nance  of  unusual  or  irregular  proportions.  A 
square-sail  in  use  in  some  Mediterranean  craft; 
it  was  occasionally  used  as  an  awning. 

Bastard-mackerel,  or  Horse-mackerel.  The 
Caranx  trachurus,  a  dry,  coarse,  and  unwhole 
some  fish  of  the  family  Scomberidce. 

Bastard-pitch.  When  a  mixture  of  equal 
parts  of  colophony,  black  pitch,  and  tar  is  boiled 
down,  it  forms  a  liquid  substance  called  by  the 
French  bray  gras.  When  a  thicker  consistence 
is  required  more  colophony  is  added,  and  it  is 
then  called  bastard-pitch. 

Baste.  To  beat;  to  cudgel.  To  sew  with 
long  stitches. 

Bastile.  A  temporary  wooden  tower  used 
formerly  in  military  and  naval  warfare.  The 
name  is  specifically  applied  to  an  old  fortification 
in  Paris  built  in  the  14th  century,  long  used  as  a 
state  prison,  but  demolished  by  the  populace  in 
1789. 

Bat,  or  Sea-bat.  An  Anglo-Saxon  word  for 
boat  or  vessel.  A  broad-bodied  thoracic  fish 
(Chcetodon  vespertilio}. 

Batardate.     A  square-stemmed  row-galley. 

Batardeau.  Planks  to  prevent  the  entrance 
of  water  when  a  ship  is  hove  down  for  repairs. 

Batardelle.  A  galley  less  strong  than  the 
capitana. 

Batavia.  A  city  and  seaport  of  Java,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Jukatra  River,  on  the  N.  coast  of 
the  island,  with  a  free  port,  extensive  and  safe. 
Lat.  6°  8'  S. ;  Ion.  106°  50'  E.  The  bay  or  har 
bor  forms  a  roadstead  of  great  beauty,  and  may 
be  entered  by  vessels  of  the  largest  class.  Pop. 
100,000. 

Bateau.  A  flat-bottomed,  sharp-ended,  clumsy 
boat  used  on  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  Canada.  A 
peculiar  army  pontoon. 

Bated.  A  plump,  full-roed  fish  is  said  to  be 
bated. 


BATELLA 


70 


BAY 


Batella.     A  small  plying-boat. 

Bath  (Maine).  A  city  and  port  of  entry  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Kennebec  Kiver,  12  miles 
from  the  ocean,  36  miles  N.E.  of  Portland. 
Wooden  ship-building  is  carried  on  at  Bath  to  a 
very  large  extent.  Pop.  11,000. 

Bath-brick.  A  preparation  of  calcareous 
earth  in  the  form  of  a  brick,  used  for  cleaning 
bright-work. 

Bathometer.  A  sounding  apparatus,  which 
see. 

Bathymetry.  The  art  or  science  of  measuring 
the  depth  of  the  sea. 

Batillage.     An  old  term  for  boat-hire. 

Batman.  A  weight  used  in  the  East,  varying 
according  to  locality. 

Bat-swain.  An  Anglo-Saxon  expression  for 
boatswain. 

Battard.     An  early  cannon  of  small  size. 

Batteloe.     A  lateen-rigged  vessel  of  India. 

Batten.  Scantlings  from  one  inch  to  three 
inches  broad.  Long  slips  of  timber  used  for  set 
ting  fair  the  sheer  lines  of  a  ship,  for  staying  the 
lower  masts,  and  for  setting  off  distances  gener 
ally.  Strips  of  wood  secured  to  masts,  yards,  or 
rigging  to  protect  them  from  chafe.  Slips  of 
wood  used  for  confining  the  edges  of  the  tarpau 
lins  over  the  hatches. 

To  BATTEN  DOWN  THE  HATCHES,  to  haul  over 
the  tarpaulins  and  secure  them  by  nailing  bat 
tens  over  them. 

Battering  Charge.  A  charge  of  powder 
heavier  than  the  ordinary  charge,  to  be  used 
against  ironclads  or  masonry  at  short  range  for 
a  limited  number  of  fires. 

Battering-guns,  or  Battering-pieces.  Guns 
whose  weight  and  power  fit  them  for  demolishing 
by  direct  force  the  works  of  the  enemy. 

Battery.  A  place  where  guns  or  mortars  are 
mounted.  A  body  of  cannon  taken  collectively  ; 
as,  the  starboard  battery.  Two  or  more  pieces 
of  artillery  in  the  field.  Barbette  battery,  one 
without  embrasures.  Floating-battery,  a  vessel 
heavily  clad  with  iron,  and  having  little  or  no 
steam-power,  used  for  harbor  defense  ;  a  battery 
mounted  on  a  raft  or  hulk.  Masked,  or  covered 
battery,  one  concealed  from  the  enemy  by  a  bank 
or  breastwork  until  it  opens  fire.  Water-battery, 
one  close  to  and  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  water. 
Mortar-batteries  have  no  embrasures,  the  mortar 
being  generally  fired  at  an  angle  of  45°.  See 
ELECTRIC  BATTERY,  GALVANIC  BATTERY. 

Battle-lantern.  A  lantern  supplied  to  each 
gun  for  lighting  up  the  decks  during  an  engage 
ment  at  night. 

Battle-royal.  A  term  derived  from  cock- 
fighting,  but  generally  applied  to  a  noisy,  con 
fused  row. 

Battle  the  Watch.  To  contend  with  a  diffi 
culty  ;  to  shift  as  well  as  one  can  ;  to  depend  on 
one's  own  exertions. 

Bat-ward.     An  old  term  for  a  boat-keeper. 

Bavin.    See  BORE. 

Baw-burd.     An  old  expression  for  larboard. 

Bawdrick.     A  corruption  of  baldrick. 

Bawe.  A  species  of  worm  used  for  bait  for 
fish. 

Bawgie.  One  of  the  names  given  to  the  great 
black  and  white  gull  (Larus  marinus). 

Bawkie.     A  name  for  the  awk,  or  razor-bill. 

Baxios  (Sp.).  Bocks  or  sand-banks  covered 
with  water. 


Bay.  An  inlet  of  the  sea,  having  a  wide 
entrance,  and  usually  smaller  than  a  gulf,  al 
though  many  large  sheets  of  water  are  named 
bays.  Of  the  many  names  adopted  to  designate 
inlets  from  the  seas,  those  of  fiord  and  viik  may 
be  properly  included  under  the  head  of  bays. 
The  greater  portion  of  inlets  so  named  are  of  salt 
water,  but  many  fresh-water  bays  exist,  espe 
cially  in  the  great  American  lake-region.  An 
enumeration  of  the  bays  would  require  several 
pages,  and  some  that  are  not  from  their  size  ge 
ographically  important  are  remarkable  never 
theless  from  the  rivers  that  empty  into  them,  as 
Delaware  Bay ;  the  cities  that  are  situated  on 
them,  as  Boston  Bay ;  from  natural  causes,  as 
Fundy  Bay  from  its  great  rise  of  tides  ;  from 
historical  reasons,  as  Aboukir  Bay  ;  from  stra 
tegical  causes,  as  Gibraltar  Bay ;  or  from  some 
use  made  of  them,  rendering  them  peculiarly 
notable,  as  Botany  Bay,  the  home  of  English 
convicts. 

Keith  Johnston,  in  his  "Royal  Atlas,"  enu 
merates  more  than  a  thousand  bays,  and  this 
number  would  doubtless  increase  threefold  on  a 
careful  count  of  our  charts  of  the  known  coasts 
of  the  world.  Of  these,  Europe  has  by  far  the 
greater  number,  there  being  about  440  on  the 
chart,  and  North  America  comes  next  with  230, 
while  South  America  and  Oceanica  have  up 
wards  of  100  each,  and  Asia  has  upwards  of  80, 
Africa  having  no  more  than  60.  Of  European 
countries,  the  British  Isles  have  the  most  bays, 
and  Norway  comes  next  with  her  fiords.  Hol 
land,  Belgium,  and  Corsica  have  none;  Italy, 
Portugal,  Austria,  and  Turkey  one  each. 

The  principal  bays  of  Asia  are  the  Tidanski, 
Taimurski,  Katangski,  and  Borkaia  on  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  Avatcha,  Ulbansk,  Vladimir,  Victoria, 
Broughton,  Hangchow,  Yeddo,  Hakodadi,  Wan- 
chow,  Manila  to  the  eastward,  and  the  great 
Bay  of  Bengal  on  its  south  shores. 

The  principal  African  bays  are  Sofala,  Dela- 

§oa,  and  Algoa  to  the  eastward,  False,  Table, 
t.  Helena,  and  Walfisch  on  the  west,  Algiers, 
Tunis,  and  Arab  bays  to  the  northward.  Neu- 
stadt,  Kiel,  and  Liibeck  on  the  Baltic,  Cardigan, 
Donegal,  and  Galway  in  the  British  Isles,  and 
Biscay,  Cancale,  and  Fetubal  on  the  west  coast, 
comprise  the  principal  European  bays.  North 
America  has  many  large  bays,  chief  of  which 
are  Mackenzie,  Baffin's,  Frobisher's,  Hudson, 
James,  Ungava,  and  Cumberland  on  the  north 
coast,  Melville  and  Disco  in  Greenland,  Bay  of 
Fundy,  Massachusetts,  Cape  Cod,  Delaware, 
Chesapeake,  Long,  and  Onslow  bays  on  the  east 
coast,  Appalachicola,  Pensacola,  and  Galveston 
on  the  Gulf,  Campeachy,  Fonseca,  and  Tehuan- 
tepec  in  Mexico  and  Central  America,  and  Mag- 
dalena,  Seb.  Vizcaino,  Monterey,  San  Francisco, 
and  Bristol  bays  on  the  west  coast.  South 
America  has  Bahia  de  Todos  os  Santos,  Rio 
Janeiro,  and  White  bays  on  its  east  coast,  and 
Arauco,  Coquimbo,  Salado,  Moreno,  Pisco,  Se- 
chura,  and  Buenaventura  on  her  west  coast. 
Australia  is  well  provided  with  bays,  Prince 
Charlotte,  Hervey,  Encounter,  Geographe,  and 
Shark  bays  being  the  most  important. 

Three  bays  are  particularly  noticeable  from 
their  great  size,  viz. :  1.  Bay  of  Bengal.  This 
is  a  triangular  sheet  of  water,  an  arm  of  the 
Bengal  Sea,  washing  the  northeastern  shores  of 
Hindostan  and  the  west  coast  of  Pegu.  It  ex- 


BAY 


71 


BEAM 


tends  over  6  degrees  of  latitude  and  10  of  longi 
tude,  being  about  200,000  square  rniles  in  area. 
It  is  the  recipient  of  the  great  Brahmapootra, 
Ganges,  and  Shina  rivers,  but  contains  no  ob 
stacles  to  navigation  except  near  the  land.  2. 
Bay  of  Biscay.  This  is  a  trapezoidal-shaped  bay, 
an  arm  of  the  Atlantic,  washing  the  southwest 
coast  of  France,  where  its  shores  are  low  and 
marshy,  and  the  rocky  and  mountainous  north 
coast  of  Spain.  It  embraces  some  8  degrees  of 
latitude  and  5  of  longitude,  being  about  125,000 
square  miles  in  area.  It  receives  the  waters  of 
the  Adour,  Garonne,  and  Loire.  3.  Hudson^s 
Bay,  discovered  in  1615  by  Hendrik  Hudson. 
It  is  situated  wholly  within  the  North  American 
continent,  and  is  nearly  square,  having,  as  an 
addition,  James  Bay,  itself  of  some  extent. 
Hudson's  Bay  occupies  some  9  degrees  of  lati 
tude  and  14  of  longitude,  and  contains  some 
300,000  square  miles  "of  area.  It  communicates 
with  the  Atlantic  by  a  strait  of  the  same  name, 
and  with  the  Arctic  Ocean  by  several  passages. 
Some  idea  of  the  great  size  of  these  bays  is  ob 
tained  by  a  comparison  with  countries.  The 
Bay  of  Bengal  is  as  large  as  Germany,  or  its  own 
neighbor,  Siam.  The  Bay  of  Biscay  is  as  large 
as  Holland,  and  Hudson's  Bay  would  about  cover 
Spain. — F.  S.  Bassett,  Lieutenant  U.S.N. 

Bay.  The  fore  part  of  the  ship  between  decks. 
See  SICK-BAY. 

Bayamos.  Violent  blasts  of  wind  blowing 
from  the  land,  on  the  south  coast  of  Cuba,  and 
especially  from  the  Bight  of  Bayamo.  They  are 
accompanied  by  wind  and  lightning,  and  gen 
erally  terminate  in  rain. 

Bay-bolt.     A  bolt  with  a  barbed  shank. 

Bay-gulf.  A  branch  of  the  sea  of  which  the 
entrance  is  the  widest  part,  as  contradistin 
guished  from  the  strait-gulf. 

Bay-ice.  Ice  newly  formed  on  the  surface  of 
the  sea,  and  having  the  color  of  the  water ;  it  is 
then  in  the  first  stage  of  consolidation.  The 
term  is  sometimes  applied  to  ice  a  foot  or  two  in 
thickness  in  bays. 

Bayle.     An  old  term  for  bucket. 

Bayonet.  A  short  triangular  dagger  fitted  to 
the  muzzle  of  a  musket  or  rifle,  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  the  fire-arm  effect  as  a  thrusting 
weapon.  It  takes  its  name  from  Bayonne, 
France,  where  it  is  said  to  have  originated.  It 
was  first  used  by  the  French  in  the  Netherlands 
in  1647.  Formerly  the  handle  of  the  bayonet 
was  inserted  into  the  bore  of  the  fire-arm,  and 
had  to  be  unfixed  when  the  piece  was  fired;  to 
remedy  which  it  is  now  made  with  a  hollow 
handle  and  a  shoulder  so  that  it  fits  over  thebarrel, 
and  sets  otf  from  the  line  of  fire.  Modifications 
affecting  the  shape  of  the  blade  have  also  been 
made,  of  which  the  sabre-bayonet  and  the  more 
recent  trowel-bayonet  are  examples.  The  latter 
form  of  bayonet,  invented  by  Bvt.  Lt.-Col.  Rice, 
"U.S.A.,  is 'less  sightly  than  the  triangular,  either 
fixed  or  worn  as  a  side-arm,  but  is  most  valuable 
as  an  intrenching  tool  to  forces  operating  on 
land. 

Bayou.  The  outlet  of  a  small  lake ;  a  creek 
or  small  river. 

Bazaras.  A  large  pleasure-boat  of  the  Ganges 
impelled  by  oars  and  sails. 

Beach.  A  shelving  tract  of  sand  or  shingle 
washed  by  the  sea  or  a  lake,  and  interposed  be 
tween  the  water  and  the  land  on  which  vegeta 


tion  grows.  The  beach  of  the  ocean  is,  generally 
speaking,  little  more  than  the  space  between  low- 
and  high- water  mark ;  the  beach  of  a  lake  that 
between  the  water-marks  of  the  highest  and 
lowest  ordinary  level  of  the  lake.  An  inland 
sea  without  tide,  such  as  the  Mediterranean,  has 
generally  little  beach,  except  on  flat  coasts,  where 
the  waters  are  apt  to  rise  and  fall  considerably, 
according  to  the  prevailing  winds.  To  land  a 
person  with  the  intention  of  deserting  him,  an 
old  buccaneer  custom.  To  run  a  boat  or  a  vessel 
on  the  beach,  either  to  land  or  for  the  purpose  of 
repairs  where  there  are  no  other  accommodations. 
See  SURF. 

BEACH-COMBERS.  Long  waves  rolling  in  from 
the  ocean.  Loiterers  around  a  bay  or  harbor. 

BEACH-COMBING.  Loafing  about  a  port  to 
filch  small  things. 

BEACH-FLEA.  A  small  crustacean  (Talitra) 
frequenting  sandy  shores. 

BEACH-GRASS.  Alga  marina  thrown  up  by  the 
surf  or  tide. 

BEACH-MAN.  A  person  on  the  coast  of  Africa 
who  acts  as  interpreter  to  shipmasters,  and 
assists  them  in  conducting  trade. 

BEACH-MASTER.  An  officer  appointed  to  su 
perintend  the  disembarkation  of  an  attacking 
force,  who  holds  plenary  powers,  and  generally 
leads  the  storming  party. 

BEACH-MEN.  A  name  applied  to  boatmen  and 
those  who  land  people  through  a  heavy  surf. 

BEACH-RANGERS.  Men  hanging  about  sea 
ports,  who  have  been  turned  out  of  vessels  for 
bad  conduct. 

BEACH-TRAMPERS.  A  name  applied  to  the 
coast-guard  of  England. 

Beacon.  A  post  or  stake  erected  over  a  shoal 
or  sand-bank,  as  a  warning  to  seamen  to  keep  at 
a  distance  ;  also  a  signal-mark  placed  on  the  top 
of  hills,  eminences,  or  buildings  near  the  shore 
for  the  safe  guidance  of  shipping. 

BEACONAGE.  A  payment  levied  for  the  main 
tenance  of  beacons. 

Be -aft.  A  term  frequently  used  by  sailors  for 
abaft. 

Beak,  or  Beak-head.  A  piece  of  brass  like  a 
beak,  fixed  at  the  head  of  the  ancient  galleys, 
with  which  they  pierced  their  enemy's  vessels. 
Pisjeus  is  said  to  have  first  added  the  rostrum  or 
beak-head.  Later  it  was  a  small  platform  .at  the 
fore  part  of  the  upper  deck,  but  the  term  is  now 
applied  to  that  part  without  the  ship  before  the 
forecastle,  or  knee  of  the  head,  which  is  fastened 
to  the  stem  and  is  supported  by  the  main  knee. 
Latterly  the  whole  of  this  is  enlarged,  strength 
ened,  and  armed  with  iron  plates,  and  thus  the 
armed  stem  revives  the  ancient  strategy  in  sea- 
fights. 

Beam.  A  long  double  stratum  of  murky 
clouds  generally  observed  in  the  Mediterranean 
previous  to  a  violent  storm.  A  collection  of 
parallel  rays  emitted  from  the  sun  or  other  lu 
minous  body.  Any  large  piece  of  timber  or  iron 
long  in  proportion  to  its  other  dimensions.  One 
of  the  heavy  transverse  timbers  which  support 
the  deck  and  retain  the  sides  of  a  ship  in  shape. 
Beam,  or  breadth  of  beam,  the  width  of  a  ship. 
On  the  beam,  in  a  line  with  the  beams,  or  at 
right  angles  to  the  keel. 

"BEAM^CENTRE.  The  fulcrum  on  which  the 
walking-beam  vibrates. 

BEAM-ENDS.     A  ship  is  said  to  be  on  her  beam- 


BEAN-COD 


72 


BEAUMONT 


ends  when  she  has  heeled  over  so  much  that  her 
beams  approach  a  vertical  position.  The  expres 
sion  is  used  figuratively  for  a  person  in  distress. 

BEAM-ENGINE.  An  engine  with  an  oscillating 
beam,  by  which  the  power  is  transmitted  from 
the  piston  to  the  shaft. 

BEAM-FILLINGS.  Short  pieces  of  wood  to  fit 
between  the  beams,  to  complete  a  cargo  of  timber. 

BEAM-LINE.  A  line  which  indicates  the  in 
tersection  of  the  upper  part  of  the  beams  with  the 
frames  of  a  ship. 

BEAM,  WALKING-.  The  beam  of  a  beam-en 
gine,  called  also  working-beam. 

Bean-cod.  A  small  fishing-vessel,  or  pilot- 
boat,  common  in  Spain  and  Portugal.  It  is 
fitted  with  a  large  lateen-sail,  and  sometimes  has 
an  outrigger  over  the  stern.  It  is  extremely 
sharp  forward,  and  works  well  to  windward. 

Bear.  A  coir-mat  filled  with  sand,  or  a  block 
of  stone,  matted,  loaded  with  shot,  and  fitted 
with  ropes,  for  hauling  to  and  fro  to  grind  the 
decks. 

Bear.  To  bear  down  upon  a  vessel  is  to  ap 
proach  her  from  to  windward.  To  bear  up,  to 
put  the  helm  up  and  run  oif  to  leeward.  To  bear 
sail,  stiff  under  canvas.  To  bring  the  guns  to 
bear,  to  so  lay  the  ship's  head  that  the  guns  may 
be  pointed  at  the  enemy.  To  bear  in  with  (or 
off  from)  the  land  is  to  stand  in  toward  (or  off 
from)  the  coast.  To  bear  off,  to  push  one  object 
off  from  another ;  as,  a  lighter  from  the  ship's 
side. 

BEAK  A  BOB,  or  A  FIST.  Jocular  for  lend  a 
hand. 

BEAR  A  HAND     Hasten. 

Beard.  The  silky  filaments  by  which  some 
testacea  adhere  to  the  rocks.  The  gills  of  an 
oyster.  The  rays  of  a  comet  emitted  toward  that 
part  of  the  heavens  to  which  its  proper  motion 
seems  to  direct  it. 

Bearding.  The  diminution  of  the  edge  or 
surface  of  a  piece  of  timber  from  a  given  line; 
as,  on  the  stem,  deadwood,  etc. 

Bearding-line.  The  trace  of  the  inner  surface 
of  the  ship's  skin  on  the  keel,  stem,  and  stern-post. 

Bearer.  An  instrument  used  in  handling 
heavy  shells. 

Bearing.  The  manner  in  which  a  person 
conducts  himself.  The  portion  of  an  axle  or 
shaft  in  contact  with  its  supports.  The  bearing 
of  an  object  or  place  is  the  angle  contained  be 
tween  the  meridian  and  the  vertical  plane 
through  the  object.  It  is  the  same  as  the  course 
to  the  place. 

BEARING,  COMPASS.  The  bearing  of  an  ob 
ject  as  observed  by  the  compass.  It  is  the  angle 
between  the  needle  of  the  standard  compass  on 
board  the  ship  of  the  observer  and  the  direction 
of  the  object :  it  is,  therefore,  affected  by  the  de 
viation  and  variation  of  the  compass.  If  the 
correction  for  deviation  be  applied,  the  True 
Magnetic  Bearing  is  obtained ;  and  if,  further, 
the  correction  for  variation  be  applied,  the  True 
Bearing  or  Azimuth  is  deduced 

BEARING,  MAGNETIC.  The  magnetic  bearing, 
or  "  True  Magnetic  Bearing,"  of  an  object  is  the 
angle  which  its  direction  makes  with  the  mag 
netic  meridian.  This  is  the  bearing  which  "is 
observed  with  the  azimuth  compass  after  being 
corrected  for  local  deviation  ;  from  it  the  True 
Bearing  is  deduced  by  applying  the  correction 
for  variation. 


BEARING,  TRUE.  The  true  bearing  of  an  ob 
ject,  or  the  "  Bearing,"  properly  so  called,  is  the 
angle  which  the  direction  of  the  object  makes 
with  the  meridian.  It  is  thus  qualified  to  dis 
tinguish  it  from  the  Compass  and  Magnetic  Bear 
ing.  See  AZIMUTH. 

BEARING,  TAKING  A.  Taking  a  bearing  of  an 
object  is  to  ascertain  its  direction  by  the  com- 


BEARINGS,  CROSS.  "  Cross  Bearings"  are  the 
bearings  of  two  or  more  objects  taken  from  the 
same  place,  and  therefore  intersecting  or  "  cross 
ing"  each  other  at  the  station  of  the  observer. 
"When  near  a  coast  where  the  landmarks  are 
well  laid  down  on  the  chart,  cross  bearings  give 
the  position  with  ease  and  accuracy. 

BEARING,  LINE  OF.  If  a  ship  is  in  the  vicin 
ity  of  land,  one  "  Circle  of  Equal  Altitude" 
(Sumner's  Method)  is  often  of  great  use  to  the 
navigator  who  is  uncertain  of  his  exact  position. 
He  is  on  some  point  of  this  circle,  but  does  not 
know  where.  Let  him  project  it  on  his  chart 
and  produce  the  resulting  line  till  it  meets  or 
passes  near  the  land.  Such  a  line  is  called  a 
"Line  of  Bearing."  If  it  hit  any  prominent 
mark  or  light,  the  bearing  of  this  is  known,  and 
by  sailing  along  the  line  of  bearing  till  the  object 
is  sighted,  the  exact  position  of  the  ship  may  be 
picked  up.  The  line  of  bearing  may  cross  the 
range  of  a  light-house,  and  consequent!}',  when 
the  light  is  first  sighted,  the  exact  position  of  the 
ship  is  known.  Or  the  position  on  the  line  of 
bearing  may  be  found  by  soundings.  When 
the  coast  trends  parallel  to  the  line  of  bearing, 
the  distance  of  the  ship  from  the  shore  is  indi 
cated,  though  her  absolute  position  is  uncertain. 

Bearing  Binnacle.  A  small  binnacle,  gener 
ally  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  forward  part  of 
the  poop-deck. 

Bearings.  The  widest  part  of  a  vessel  below 
the  plank-shear.  The  line  of  flotation  when 
properly  trimmed  with  stores  and  ballast  on 
board.  To  bring  a  person  to  his  bearings  is  to 
bring  him  to  his  senses  ;  to  put  him  under  control. 

Beat.  To  make  progress  against  a  head  wind 
by  a  series  of  zigzag  courses. 

Beaten  Back.  Forced  to  return  on  account 
of  a  head  wind  and  sea. 

Beating  Wind.  A  wind  which  necessitates 
tacking  to  make  progress. 

Beating  the  Booby.  Swinging  the  arms  from 
side  to  side  to  create  a  warmth  by  accelerating 
the  circulation  of  the  blood. 

Beaufort  (S.  C.),  a  port  of  entry,  on  Port 
Royal  or  Beaufort  Island,  on  an  inlet  called 
Port  Royal  River,  about  14  miles  from  the 
ocean,  and  55  miles  W.S.W.  of  Charleston. 
Pop.  2000. 

Beaumont,  J.  C.,  Commodore  U.S.N.  Ap 
pointed  midshipman,  March  1,  1838;  sloops-of- 
war  "Ontario"  and  "Erie,"  1838-40;  frigate 
"Constellation"  during  her  cruise  around  the 
world,  1840-44. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  1844;  sloop- 
of-war  "  Jamestown,"  coast  of  Africa,  acting  mas 
ter,  1844-46;  ship-of-the-line  "Ohio,"  West 
India  Squadron,  1846;  at  the  fall  of  Vera  Cruz  ; 
frigate  "  Columbia,"  1847,  acting  lieutenant ; 
Naval  Observatory,  Washington,  D.  C.,  1848; 
razee  "  Independence,"  Mediterranean  Squadron, 
master  and  acting  lieutenant,  1849-52. 

Promoted  to  lieutenant  in  1852;  Naval  Ob- 


BECALM 


BELFRY 


servatory,  1852-54;  steamer  "San  Jacinto,"  on 
the  coast  of  Europe  and  the  West  Indies,  1854- 
55;  frigate  "Potomac,"  Home  Squadron,  1856; 
steam-frigate  "  Wabash,"  Home  Squadron,  1857  ; 
receiving-ship  at  New  York,  1857-58;  steam- 
sloop  "Hartford,"  East  India  Squadron,  1859- 
60;  sloop-of-war  "John  Adams,"  executive- 
oificer,  1860-61 ;  lieutenant-commander,  com 
manding  steamer  "  Aroostook,"  North  Atlantic 
Squadron,  1862;  was  an  active  participant  in 
the  engagements  with  the  enemy's  batteries  in 
the  James  River  and  at  Fort  Darling,  in  May, 
1862. 

Promoted  to  commander,  1862 ;  commanded 
the  steam-gunboat  "Sebago,"  South  Atlantic 
Squadron,  1862-63;  commanded  monitor  "Nan- 
tucket,"  1863,  in  various  engagements  with  the 
rebel  fortifications  in  Charleston  harbor,  and 
took  a  leading  part  in  the  capture  of  Fort 
"Wagner;  commanded  steamer  "Mackinaw," 
1864-65,  in  the  North  and  South  Atlantic 
Squadrons  ;  participated  in  all  of  the  attacks  on 
Fort  Fisher,  where  his  vessel  was  badly  cut  up 
by  the  enemy's  shell ;  participated  in  all  of  the 
subsequent  engagements  with  the  rebel  batteries 
on  the  Cape  Fear  River ;  commanded  the  iron 
clad  "  Miantonomah,"  special  cruise  on  the  coast 
of  Europe,  1866-67 ;  retired  in  1868. 

Restored  to  the  active  list  in  1873,  as  captain ; 
commanded  the  steamer  "Powhatan,"  1873-74, 
special  service. 

Promoted  to  commodore  in  1874  ;  chief  signal- 
officer  of  the  navy,  1875-79  ;  commandant  navy- 
yard,  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  1879-80. 

Becalm.  To  render  quiet  or  calm  by  inter 
cepting  the  current  of  air  in  its  passage  to  the 
object ;  thus  the  jib  is  becalmed  by  the  foresail 
when  before  the  wind. 

BECALMED.  Rendered  quiet.  State  of  a  ves 
sel  at  sea  when  there  is  no  wind. 

Becket.  A  small  grommet  used  for  various 
purposes ;  as,  for  reefing  with  toggles,  for  hitch 
ing  the  standing  part  of  a  fall, "etc.  A  sailor's 
name  for  pocket. 

Bed.  Flat  thick  pieces  of  wood,  lodged  under 
the  quarters  of  casks  containing  any  liquid, 
and  stowed  in  a  ship's  hold,  in  order  to  keep 
them  bilge-free  ;  being  steadied  upon  the  beds  by 
means  of  wedges  called  quoins.  The  impres 
sion  made  by  a  ship's  bottom  on  the  mud  when 
aground.  The  bite  made  in  the  ground  by  the 
fluke  of  an  anchor.  A  kind  of  false  deck,  or 
platform,  placed  on  those  decks  where  the  guns 
were  too  low  for  the  ports.  A  platform  for  sup 
porting  a  mortar.  That  part  of  the  channel  of  a 
stream  over  which  the  water  generally  flows,  as 
also  that  part  of  the  basin  of  a  sea  or  lake  on 
which  the  water  lies.  Bed  of  a  gun-carriage,  or 
stool-led.  The  piece  of  wood  between  the  brackets 
which,  with  the  intervention  of  the  quoin,  sup 
ports  the  breech  of  the  gun.  It  is  itself  sup 
ported,  forward,  on  the  bed-bolt,  and  aft  on  the 
rear  axle.  Red  of  the  bowsprit,  a  bearing  formed 
out  of  the  stem  and  apron,  to  support  the  bow 
sprit  ;  it  is  lined  with  lead  to  prevent  the  water 
from  getting  below  on  account  of  any  shrinkage 
in  the  timber. 

BED-BOLT.  A  horizontal  bolt  passing  through 
both  brackets  of  a  gun-carriage,  and  on  which 
the  forward  end  of  the  stool-bed  rests. 

BEDDING  A  CASK.    Placing  dunnage  round  it. 

Bedlamers.     Young   Labrador  seals,   which 


set  up  a  dismal  cry  when  they  cannot  escape 
their  pursuers. 

Bed-  or  Barrel-Screw.  A  powerful  machine 
for  lifting  large  bodies,  and  placed  against  the 
gripe  of  a  ship  to  be  launched  for  starting  her. 

Be-dundered.     Stupefied  with  noise. 

Bee-blocks,  or  Bees.  Pieces  of  hard  wood 
bolted  to  the  sides  of  the  bowsprit,  through 
which  are  rove  the  fore-topmast  stays. 

Beef.  A  figurative  term  for  strength.  More 
beef !  more  men  on. 

Beef-eater.     A  man  more  distinguished  for 

Shysical  strength  than  for  mental  weight.  It  is 
ack's  term  for  an  Englishman. 

Beetle.  A  shipwright's  heavy  mallet  for 
driving  the  reeming-irons. 

Beetle-head.  A  large  beetle  used  in  pile- 
driving. 

Before  the  Mast.  A  term  used  to  distin 
guish  the  ship's  crew  from  the  officers. 

Before  the  Wind.  A  vessel  having  the  wind 
aft  is  before  the  wind.  The  yards  are  squared, 
and  as  the  mainsail  becalms  the  foresail  and 
causes  the  ship  to  steer  badly,  it  is  generally 
taken  in,  though  in  the  very  long  ships  of  the 
present  day  it  is  sometimes  carried. 

Beggar-bolts.  A  contemptuous  term  for  the 
missiles  which  were  thrown  by  the  galley-slaves 
at  an  approaching  enemy. 

Behavior.  The  action  and  qualities  of  a  ship 
under  different  impulses.  Seamen  speak  of  the 
manner  in  which  she  behaves  as  if  she  acted  by 
her  own  instinct. 

Behring,  Vitus,  a  celebrated  Danish  navigator. 
Born  in  Jutland,  1680,  entered  the  Russian  navy 
at  an  early  age,  and  fought  with  distinction 
against  the  Swedes.  In  1725  engaged  in  com 
mand  of  an  expedition  to  explore  the  Sea  of  Kamt- 
chatka,  this  skillful  Danish  navigator  discovered 
in  1728  the  straits  which  connect  the  Pacific  and 
the  Atlantic,  and  they  received  his  name.  In  a 
subsequent  voyage  he  was  wrecked  on  Behring 's 
Island,  where'he  died  December  8,  1741. 

Beikat.    See  BYKAT. 

Beiled.  A  sea-term  in  the  old  law-books,  ap 
parently  for  moored. 

Belay.  To  secure  a  rope  with  turns  around  a 
pin,  cleat,  or  cavil. 

BELAYING-PIN.  A  small  pin  of  wood  or  iron 
to  which  are  made  fast  the  hauling  parts  of  the 
running-gear. 

Belcher,  Sir  Edward.  Born  in  1799,  entered 
the  navy  in  1812  as  a  volunteer ;  in  1816  took 
part  in  the  bombardment  of  Algiers.  Distin 
guished  above  every  other  British  admiral  for 
his  voyage  round  the  world  and  his  exploration 
of  the*  American  shores  of  the  Pacific,  he  was 
nevertheless  unfortunate  in  an  attempt  that  he 
made  in  1852  to  trace  the  whereabouts  or  the 
fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  He  lost  both  of  his 
ships  in  the  enterprise,  and  was,  according  to 
custom,  tried  by  court-martial  for  the  disaster. 
The  verdict  was  honorable  acquittal.  In  1864  he 
became  rear-admiral  of  the  red. 

Belfast  (Me.).  A  city  and  port  of  entry  on 
the  W.  side  of  Penobscot  Bay  (which  is  the  es 
tuary  between  the  Penobscot  River  and  the 
ocean),  42  miles  E.  by  N.  from  Augusta,  and  30 
miles  from  the  ocean.  Many  of  the  inhabitants 
are  employed  in  ship-building.  Pop.  6200. 

Belfry.  A  frame  or  shelter  under  which  the 
ship's  bell  is  suspended. 


BELL 


74 


BENDS 


Bell.  The  rapid  ringing  of  a  ship's  bell  is  the 
fire-alarm,  which  see.  The  tolling  of  the  bell  is 
the  summons  to  divine  service.  The  principal 
use  of  the  bell  on  board  ship  is  to  mark  the  time. 
At  four,  eight,  and  twelve  o'clock  the  bell  is 
struck  eight  times, — half  an  hour  afterwards  it  is 
struck  once,  and  an  hour  afterwards  it  is  struck 
twice,  and  so  on  until  the  end  of  the  watch, 
when  it  is  struck  eight  times,  after  which  the 
preceding  routine  is  again  carried  out.  Time  is 
reckoned  by  bells,  thus  three  bells  in  the  fore 
noon  is  half-past  nine  o'clock,  and  four  bells  in 
the  afternoon  is  two  o'clock,  etc. 

Bell,  Charles  H.,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N. 
Born  in  New  York,  1798.  Appointed  midship 
man  June  18,  1812  ;  attached  to  Commodore  De- 
catur's  squadron  all  of  1813  and  until  the  spring 
of  1814;  in  the  summer  of  1814  was  transferred 
to  the  squadron  of  Commodore  Chauncey,  on 
Lake  Ontario,  where  he  remained  until  the  war 
ended  ;  attached  to  Commodore  Decatur's  squad 
ron,  in  the  Mediterranean,  in  1815. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant,  March  28,  1820; 
serving  in  sloop-of-war  "Erie,"  West  India 
Squadron,  1829  ;  navy-yard,  New  York,  1833 ; 
sloop  "  Vincennes,"  Pacific  Squadron,  1834-35; 
commanding  schooner  * '  Dolphin , ' '  Pacific  Squad 
ron,  1836. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  September  10, 
1840,  and  ordered  to  command  the  schooner 
"Dolphin,"  Brazil  Squadron;  commanding 
sloop-of-war  "Yorktown,"  coast  of  Africa, 
1846  ;  navy-yard,  New  York,  1850 ;  special  duty, 
1851-54. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  August  12,  1854 ; 
commanding  frigate  "  Constellation,"  Mediter 
ranean  Squadron,  1856-58;  commandant  Norfolk 
navy-yard,  1860. 

Commissioned  as  commodore,  July  16,  1862 ; 
commanding  Pacific  Squadron,  1862-64 ;  special 
duty,  James  River,  1865. 

Commissioned  as  rear-admiral,  July  25,  1866; 
commandant  navy-yard,  New  York,  1866-68; 
died  1872. 

Bell,  Henry  H.f  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N.  Born 
in  North  Carolina,  1808 ;  midshipman,  August 
4,  1823 ;  lieutenant,  March  3,  1831 ;  commander, 
August  12,  1854 ;  captain,  1861 ;  commodore, 
July  16,  1862  ;  rear-admiral,  July  25,  1866.  First 
served  in  the  "Grampus"  in  clearing  the  coast 
of  Cuba  of  pirates.  He  commanded  one  of  the 
vessels  of  the  East  India  Squadron,  which,  in 
November,  1856,  captured  and  destroyed  the  four 
barrier  forts  near  Canton,  China.  Assigned  to 
the  Gulf  Squadron  in  1861,  and  as  fleet-captain 
took  an  active  part  in  the  capture  of  New  Or 
leans  and  siege  of  Vicksburg.  He  was  for  a 
time  in  1863  in  command  of  the  West  Gulf  Squad 
ron,  and  when  Admiral  Thatcher  was  ordered  to 
other  duty  its  command  again  devolved  on  him. 
In  July,  1865,  he  was  ordered  to  command  the 
East  India  Squadron,  and  was  very  active  in 
putting  down  the  pirates  that  infested  the  Chi 
nese  seas.  In  1867  he  was  retired,  but  had  not 
been  relieved  when  he  was  drowned  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Osaka  River,  Japan,  January  11,  1868. 

Bella  Stella.  A  name  used  by  old  seamen  for 
the  cross-staif. 

Bellatrix  (Lat.  warlike).  The  name  for  the 
bright  star  y  Orionis. 

Bell-buoy.  A  buoy  on  which  is  placed  a  bell, 
which  is  sounded  by  the  action  of  the  waves. 


Belligerent  (Lat.  bellum,  war,  and  gerens, 
gerentis,  waging).  Waging  war.  Tending  ot 
pertaining  to  war ;  as,  belligerent  rights.  A  nation, 
power,  or  state  carrying  on  war.  See  INTER 
NATIONAL  LAW. 

Bellona.     The  goddess  of  war. 

Bellows.  An  old  hand  at  the  bellows,  a  phras( 
equivalent  to  saying  that  a  person  is  well  posted 
in  all  his  duties.  When  a  gale  increases  th( 
sailors  say  there  is  afresh  hand  at  the  bellows. 

Bell-rope.  A  piece  of  rope  spliced  around  the 
clapper  for  convenience  in  striking  the  bell. 

Belly.     The  inner  or  hollow  part  of  comps 
timber.     The  swell  of  a  sail.     Bellying  canvas, 
sails  inflated  with  wind. 

BELLY-BAND.  A  strengthening  band  of  canvas 
from  leech  to  leech,  half-way  between  the  lower 
reef-band  and  the  foot  of  the  sail. 

BELLY-GUY.  A  rope  or  tackle  applied  half-way 
up  a  sheer-leg,  or  long  spar,  to  keep  it  from 
buckling. 

BELLY-MAT.     See  PAUNCH-MAT. 

BELLY-STAY.     See  BELLY-GUY. 

Belone.  A  genus  of  abdominal  fishes  of  the 
Esox  or  pike  family. 

Below.  The  opposite  of  on  deck.  Below  the 
spar-deck. 

Belt.     A  zone ;  as,  a  calm  belt.     To  strike. 

Belting.     A  beating. 

Beluga.  A  fish  of  the  cetaceous  order  and 
dolphin  family.  The  northern  beluga  is  the 
white  whale  and  white-fish  of  the  whalers. 

Benbow,  John,  Admiral.  Born  in  Shrop 
shire  in  1650.  Beginning  life  as  a  midshipman 
in  the  reign  of  James  II.,  Benbow  became  a 
favorite  of  his  successor,  William  III.  After 
much  hard  service  in  different  quarters  he  was 
engaged  with  a  superior  French  force  under  Ad 
miral  Ducasse  off  St.  Martha,  in  the  West  In 
dies,  where  he  lost  his  right  leg.  In  the  midst 
of  the  fight  he  was  deserted  by  a  part  of  his 
squadron,  which  sorely  galled  him,  as  it  reflected 
on  the  honor  and  credit  of  the  navy.  He  ex 
claimed  that  he  would  rather  have  lost  both  legs 
than  witnessed  the  disgrace  of  the  service.  Died 
November  29,  1702. 

Bench-mark.  One  of  a  number  of  marks 
along  a  line  of  survey  indicating  a  series  of  levels 
at  different  elevations. 

Bend.  To  make  fast  a  rope  to  an  anchor,  spar, 
or  another  rope.  (See  STUN'-SAIL-HALLIARD-, 
FISHERMAN'S-,  SINGLE-,  DOUBLE-,  and  CAR- 
RICK-BEND.)  To  bend  a  sail  is  to  make  it  fast  to 
its  proper  yard,  gaff,  or  stay,  and  reeve  all  the 
gear  belonging  to  it.  To  bend  to  the  oars,  to  give 
way  strong.  To  bend  the  cable,  the  operation  of 
making  fast  the  cable  to  the  ring  of  the  anchor. 
The  term  is  still  used  for  shackling  the  chain  to 
the  anchor. 

Bender.     A  spree  or  jollification. 

Bend-mold.  A  mold  made  to  form  the  fut- 
tocks  in  the  square  body. 

Bends.  The  thickest  and  strongest  planks  on 
the  outward  part  of  a  ship's  side.  They  are  more 
properly  called  wales.  They  are  reckoned  from 
the  water,  and  are  distinguished  by  the  titles  of 
first,  second,  or  third  bend.  They  are  the  chief 
strength  of  a  ship's  sides,  and  have  the  beams, 
knees,  and  foot-hooks  bolted  to  them.  Bends 
are  also  the  frames  or  ribs  that  form  the  ship's 
body  from  the  keel  to  the  top  of  the  side,  indi 
vidualized  by  each  particular  station.  That  at 


BE-NEAPED 


75 


BIDDLE 


the  broadest  part  of  the  ship  is  denominated  the 
midship-bend  or  dead-flat. 

Be-neaped.  The  situation  of  a  vessel  when 
she  is  aground  at  the  height  of  spring-tides. 
See  NEAPED. 

Bengal-light.     See  BLUE-LIGHT. 

Benicia  (Cal.).  On  the  north  side  of  the 
Strait  of  Carquinez,  about  40  miles  N.E^.  of  San 
Francisco,  and  56  miles  S.W.  of  Sacramento. 
It  is  at  the  head  of  navigation  for  the  largest 
ships,  and  contains  the  depot  and  machine-shops 
of  the  Pacific  Mail  Company.  Pop.  2000. 

Benjy.  A  low-crowned  straw  hat,  with  a  very 
broad  brim. 

Benk.  A  term  for  a  low  bank,  or  ledge  of 
rock ;  probably  the  origin  of  bunk,  or  sleeping- 
places  in  merchant  vessels.  See  BUNK. 

Benn.     A  small  kind  of  salmon. 

Bent.  The  trivial  name  of  the  Arundo  are- 
naria,  or  coarse  unprofitable  grass  growing  on 
the  sea-shore. 

Bentinck-boom.  The  boom  which  stretches 
the  foot  of  the  foresail  in  many  small  square- 
rigged  merchantmen ;  particularly  used  in 
whalers  in  the  ice,  with  a  reefed  foresail  to  see 
clearly  ahead.  The  tack  and  sheet  are  thus 
dispensed  with,  a  tackle  amidships  bringing  the 
leeches  taut. 

Bentincks.  Triangular  courses,  so  named 
after  Captain  Bentinck,  by  whom  they  were 
invented. 

Bentinck  Shrouds.  Ropes  of  the  size  of  the 
topmast  rigging,  seized  on  to  the  weather  futtock- 
staff  and  set  up  to  the  lee  channels,  to  support 
the  mast  when  rolling  heavily.  They  are  not 
now  in  use. 

Bent  on  a  Splice.     Going  to  be  married. 

Bergen,  a  fortified  city  and  seaport  of  Nor 
way,  is  on  a  peninsula  at  the  end  of  a  deep  bay 
on  the  Atlantic,  190  miles  W.N.W.  of  Chris- 
tiania.  Lat.  60°  24'  N. ;  Ion.  5°  18'  E.  Bergen 
is  the  station  of  a  naval  squadron.  Its  harbor  is 
deep  and  sheltered,  and  defended  by  several  forts. 
Ship-building  is  carried  on  ;  the  fishery  is,  how 
ever,  the  principal  employment.  Pop.  36,000. 

Bermuda  Sails.     See  'MuGiAN. 

Bermuda  Squall.  A  sudden  and  strong  wintry 
tempest  experienced  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  near 
the  Bermudas ;  it  is  preceded  by  heavy  clouds, 
thunder,  and  lightning.  It  belongs  to  the  Gulf 
Stream,  and  is  felt,  throughout  its  course,  up  to 
the  banks  of  Newfoundland. 

Bermudez,  Juan.  A  Spaniard  who,  in  the 
era  of  Spanish  discoveries  (1522),  came  upon 
the  cluster  of  islands  in  the  "West  Indies,  to 
which  he  gave  his  own  name.  The  Bermudas, 
though  often  "vexed"  with  storms,  are  among 
the  most  beautiful  of  the  isles  of  the  west,  and 
are  particularly  valuable  as  harbors  for  vessels 
bound  either  to  the  north  or  south  of  the  Amer 
ican  continent.  They  are  now  the  property  of 
Great  Britain.  "Somerset  Island"  derives  its 
name  from  a  navigator  who  was  driven  upon  it 
in  a  gale. 

Bermudians.  Three-masted  schooners,  built 
at  Bermuda  for  the  English  during  the  war  of 
1814 ;  they  went  through  the  waves  without 
rising  to  them,  and  consequently  were  too  tick 
lish  for  northern  stations. 

Bernak.     The  barnacle  goose  (Anser  bernicla). 

Bersis.  A  species  of  cannon  formerly  much 
used  at  sea. 


Berth.  The  place  in  which  a  ship  lies  when 
she  is  at  anchor.  Situation,  position,  or  em 
ployment  of  an  individual.  The  space  allotted 
to  a  sailor  to  sleep  in.  To  give  a  point  or  rock  a 
wide  berth,  to  keep  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  it.  To  berth  a  ship's  company,  to  allot  to 
the  crew  the  place  in  which  they  are  to  swing 
their  hammocks.  The  watches  are  distributed 
in  equal  numbers  on  each  side  of  the  ship.  The 
boys  are  berthed  apart  from  the  men.  Marines, 
quartermasters,  and  others  who  sleep  in  till  six 
bells  are  berthed  well  aft,  so  they  will  not  be 
disturbed  when  all  hands  are  called.  Boat 
swain's  mates  swing  near  the  hatches.  Over 
each  man's  hammock-hook  is  hung  a  tin  plate 
with  his  hammock-number. 

BERTH-DECK.  The  deck  next  below  the  lower 
gun-deck. 

Berthing.  The  rising  or  working  up  of  the 
planks  of  the  ship's  side.  Berthing  also  denotes 
the  planking  outside  above  the  sheer-strake. 

Bervie.     A  haddock  split  and  half  dried. 

Berwick  Smack  (Eng.).  The  old  and  well- 
found  packet  of  former  days. 

Bessemer  Process.     See  STEEL. 

Best  Bower.     See  ANCHOR. 

Betelguese,  or  Betelgeux.  The  name  for  the 
bright  star  a  Orionis. 

Betty  Martin.  My  eye  and  Betty  Martin  is 
an  expression  implying  disbelief.  It  is  a  corrup 
tion  of  the  Romish  mtAt,  beate  Marline  I 

Between-decks.  The  space  comprised  be 
tween  any  two  whole  decks. 

Betwixt  Wind  and  Water.  That  portion  of 
a  vessel's  side  which  is  sometimes  below  and 
sometimes  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  This 
is  the  most  dangerous  place  to  receive  a  shot, 
hence  the  figurative  phrase  "  a  shot  betwixt  wind 
and  water,"  to  express  a  palpable  hit  in  an 
argument. 

Bevel.  Any  angle  except  a  right  angle ; 
a  sloped  surface.  An  instrument  composed  of  a 
stock  and  movable  tongue,  used  by  shipwrights 
in  getting  out  frame  timber,  plank,  etc.,  to  the 
desired  angle. 

BEVELING,.  The  angle  formed  between  one 
surface  and  another.  When  it  is  an  obtuse 
angle  it  is  called  a  standing  beveling  ;  when  the 
angle  is  acute  it  is  called  an  under  beveling. 

BEVELING-BOARD.  A  piece  of  white  pine  board 
on  which  the  beveling  of  the  frame  timbers  is 
described. 

BEVELING-EDGE.  The  edge  of  a  ship's  frame 
which  is  in  contact  with  the  skin. 

Bewpar.     The  old  name  for  bunting. 

Bezant.  An  early  gold  coin,  so  called  from 
having  been  first  coined  at  Byzantium. 

Bhur.  A  lighter  used  for  discharging  cargo 
at  Calcutta. 

Bibbs.  Pieces  of  timber  bolted  to  the  hounds 
of  a  mast,  to  support  the  tressle-trees. 

Bible.  A  small  holystone.  It  is  also  called 
a  prayer-book.  It  is  so  named  because  sailors 
kneel  in  using  them  to  clean  the  decks. 

Bible-press.  A  hand  rolling-board  for  car 
tridges,  rocket,  and  port-fire  cases. 

Biiddle,  James,  Commodore  U.S.N.,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia  in  1783,  and  entered  the  navy  as 
midshipman  in  1800.  On  his  second  cruise  he  was 
captured,  with  Capt.  Bainbridge  and  the  other 
ofiicers  and  crew  of  the  frigate  "  Philadelphia," 
by  the  Tripolitans,  when  that  ship  had  struck 


BIDDLE 


76 


BILGE 


upon  an  unknown  rock  off  the  harbor.  After  an 
imprisonment  of  twenty  months  the  captives  were 
released.  From  that  time  until  the  war  of  1812 
Biddle  was  actively  employed,  end  upon  the 
breaking  out  of  hostilities  sailed  in  the  sloop-of- 
war  "Wasp,"  Capt.  Jacob  Jones,  as  first  lieu 
tenant.  In  October,  1812,  the  "Wasp"  cap 
tured  the  British  sloop-of-war  "Frolic,"  of 
about  equal  force,  this  being  the  second  of  those 
famous  naval  combats  of  which  Alison  says, 
"  No  words  can  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
impression  which  the  successive  capture  of  these 
three  frigates  and  two  sloops  made,  not  only  in 
Great  Britain  and  America,  but  over  the  whole 
civilized  world."  For  gallantry  on  this  occa 
sion  Lieut.  Biddle  was  promoted,  and  placed  in 
command  of  the  sloop-of-war  "Hornet."  On 
this  ship  he  was  blockaded,  with  Commodore 
Decatur's  squadron,  in  New  London.  Escaping 
the  blockade  he  sailed  for  the  East  Indies,  and 
off  the  island  of  Tristan  d'Acunha  encountered 
the  British  brig  "  Penguin,"  of  equal  force  with 
the  "Hornet."  After  an  action  of  twenty-two 
minutes,  in  which  the  British  ship  lost  a  third 
of  her  officers  and  crew  killed  and  wounded,  the 
"Penguin"  surrendered,  but  was  so  damaged 
that  it  was  necessary  to  scuttle  her.  Biddle  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  neck,  and  on  his  return 
to  the  United  States  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  captain. 

After  the  termination  of  the  war  he  was  con 
stantly  employed  both  in  the  ordinary  routine  of 
duty  and  also  upon  special  services  of  more  impor 
tance.  In  1817  he  took  possession  of  Oregon  Ter 
ritory  ;  in  1826  he  signed  a  commercial  treaty  with 
Turkey.  From  1838  to  1842  he  was  governor  of  the 
Naval  Asylum,  Philadelphia  ;  and  at  his  sugges 
tion  Secretary  Paulding  sent  thither  unemployed 
midshipmen  for  instruction,  thus  laying  the  foun 
dation  of  a  naval  school.  His  last  cruise  was  in 
command  of  a  squadron  in  the  East  Indies. 
After  exchanging  the'  ratifications  of  the  first 
treaty  with  China,  in  1845,  he  touched  at  Japan, 
and  was  for  a  short  time  in  command  on  the 
coast  of  California  during  the  Mexican  war.  He 
died  in  Philadelphia  in  October,  1848. 

Biddle,  Nicholas,  Captain  U.S.N.  An  officer 
of  the  Colonial  period.  In  command  of  the 
"  Andrew  Doria,"  of  14  guns,  he  displayed  great 
activity,  zeal,  and  intelligence.  He  made  a  num 
ber  of  prizes,  and  had  at  an  early  period  raised 
the  expectations  of  his  friends  to  such  a  height 
that  by  many  of  them  he  was  pronounced,  and 
probably  justly,  not  to  have  his  superior  in  merit 
in  the  service.  While  cruising  near  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland  he  intercepted  two  transports, 
with  400  Highland  troops  on  board,  and  was  so 
successful  in  making  captures  that  it  is  said  he 
returned  to  the  Delaware  with  five  only  of  the 
men  which  composed  his  crew  when  he  last  left 
that  river.  He  had  distributed  them  among  the 
captured,  and  received  in  return  such  of  the  crews 
of  his  prizes  as  were  disposed  to  enter  the  Con 
tinental  service.  Capt.  Biddle  was  appointed  by 
Congress  (June  6,  1776)  to  command  one  of  the 
frigates  then  building  in  Philadelphia, — the 
"  Randolph,"  of  32  guns.  In  February,  1777, 
she  sailed  on  a  cruise.  In  a  few  days  a  defect 
discovered  in  his  masts  induced  him  to  put  into 
Charleston,  S.  C.,  to  repair  them.  Having  re 
fitted,  he  again  sailed,  and  three  days  after 
being  out  tie  fell  in  with  four  vessels  from 


Jamaica,  one  of  them,  the  "True  Briton,"  of 
20  guns.  Having  captured  the  whole  four,  he  re 
turned  with  them  to  Charleston.  This  success 
gave  such  animation  and  encouragement  to  the 
State  authorities  of  South  Carolina  that  they 
fitted  out  four  small  vessels  of  war  ("  General 
Moultrie,"  "Fair  American,"  "Polly,"  and 
"Notre  Dame"),  and  placed  them  under  the 
orders  of  Capt.  Biddle.  The  immediate  object 
was  an  attack  upon  the  "  Carrysfort,"  32,  the 
"Perseus,"  24,  the  "  Hinchinbrook,"  16,  and 
a  privateer  then  cruising  off  Charleston.  The 
bar  of  Charleston  and  adverse  winds  detained 
Capt.  Biddle  so  long  in  Rebellion  Road,  that 
when  he  got  to  sea  the  British  cruisers  had  dis 
appeared.  He  captured  a  small  schooner,  and 
proceeded  on  his  cruise  till,  between  8  and 
o'clock  at  night  of  March  7,  1778,  he  fell  in 
with  the  "Yarmouth,"  Capt.  Vincent,  of  64 
guns.  An  action  immediately  commenced  by  a 
broadside  from  the  "  Randolph,"  and  was  main 
tained  with  great  energy  for  twenty  minutes  or 
more,  when  the  "Randolph"  blew  up,  and  the 
gallant  Biddle,  with  310  of  his  crew,  perished  in 
a  blaze  of  glory.  Four  only  of  his  men  escaped, 
and  they  were  picked  up  by  the  "  Yarmouth" 
four  days  after  the  action,  having  supported 
themselves  on  a  piece  of  the  wreck,  without  any 
thing  to  subsist  on  or  quench  their  thirst  ex 
cepting  rain-water  sucked  from  a  blanket,  which 
they  had  providently  preserved. 

Bid-hook.     A  small  kind  of  boat-hook. 

Biel-brief.  The  bottomry  contract  in  Den 
mark,  Sweden,  and  the  north  of  Germany. 

Bierling.     An  old  name  for  a  small  galley. 

Bifurcate.  A  river  is  said  to  bifurcate,  or  to 
form  a  fork,  when  it  divides  into  two  distinct 
branches,  as  at  the  heads  of  deltas  and  in  fluvial 
basins. 

Bight.  The  loop  of  a  rope.  A  bend  of  the 
coast  forming  a  wide-mouthed  bay. 

Bilander.  A  small  merchant  vessel  with  two 
masts,  particularly  distinguished  by  the  form  of 
her  mainsail.  It  is  bent  to  the  whole  length  of 
the  yard,  hangs  fore-and-aft,  and  is  inclined  at 
an  angle  of  45°  to  the  horizon.  Few  vessels  are 
now  rigged  in  this  manner,  and  the  name  is  in 
discriminately  used. 

Bilbo.  An  old  term  for  a  flexible  kind  of 
cutlass  from  Bilboa,  where  the  best  Spanish 
sword-blades  were  made. 

Bilboa.  A  city  and  seaport  of  Spain,  on  the 
Nerva,  6  miles  from  its  mouth.  Lat.  40°  14' 
3"  N. ;  Ion.  2°  56/  5"  W.  Bilboa  has  large  rope- 
walks  and  docks  for  ship-building,  and  the  an 
chors  for  the  Spanish  navv  are  here  manufactured. 
Pop.  27,000. 

Bilboes.  Bolts  and  shackles  used  by  the 
Spanish  to  confine  the  legs  of  their  prisoners. 

Bilge,  or  Bulge.  The  largest  circumference 
of  a  cask.  That  part  of  the  hull  of  a  ship  which 
approaches  more  nearly  to  a  horizontal  than  to 
a  vertical  position.  W'hen  a  ship  runs  aground 
and  receives  an  injury  in  this  part  of  the  hull 
she  is  said  to  be  bilged.  To  bilge,  in  a  figurative 
sense,  means  to  be  dropped  from  the  service  for 
failure  to  pass  an  examination. 

BILGE-BOARD.  The  board  covering  the  lim 
bers. 

BILOE-FEVEK.  A  fever  caused  by  the  foulness 
of  the  hold. 

BILGE-FREE.     The  situation  of  a  cask  when  it 


BILL 


77 


BILL  OF   LADING 


rests  entirely  on  its  beds,  and  the  bilge  is  clear 
of  everything. 

BILGE-KEEL.  A  projection  on  the  bilge  of  a 
vessel  parallel  with  the  keel.  Used  in  flat-bot 
tomed  light-draft  vessels  to  check  the  rolling. 

BILGE-KELSON.  A  timber  extending  fore-and- 
aft  inside  the  bilge  to  strengthen  the  frame. 

BILGE-PLANK.  A  strengthening  plank  at  the 
bilge  outside  or  inside. 

BILGE-PUMP.  A  pump  for  clearing  the  hold 
of  water.  A  small  pump  for  drawing  off  the 
bilge- water  when  the  ship  is  careened  so  that  the 
water  cannot  make  its  way  to  the  pump-well. 

BILGE-WATER.  "Water  that  has  collected  in 
the  bottom  of  a  ship.  It  should  be  pumped  out 
frequently,  as  it  soon  gives  off  an  offensive  odor 
and  endangers  the  health  of  the  crew. 

BILGE-WATER  ALARM.  A  bilge  water  gauge 
(which  see),  to  which  is  an  attachment  that 
sounds  an  alarm  when  the  water  has  risen  to  a 
certain  height. 

BILGE- WATER  DISCHARGE.  An  apparatus  for 
discharging  the  bilge- water  automatically ;  a 
tube  from  the  pump-well  through  the  stern, 
through  which  a  current  is  induced  by  the 
vacuum  which  is  formed  at  the  rear  orifice  by 
the  passage  of  the  ship  through  the  water. 

BILGE-VATER  GAUGE.  An  apparatus  to  in 
dicate  the  depth  of  water  in  the  hold. 

BILGE-WAYS.  A  series  of  timbers  on  either 
side  of  a  vessel  on  the  launching-ways,  on  which 
rests  the  cradle  which  supports  the  body  of  the 
ship  in  launching. 

Bill.  The  end  of  a  compass  or  knee-timber. 
The  extremity  of  the  arm  of  an  anchor.  A 
point  of  land,  as  Portland  Bill.  The  point  of  a 
hook.  See  FIRE-BILL,  WATCH-BILL,  QUARTER- 
BILL,  and  STATION-BILL. 

Bill  of  Entry.  A  document  containing  an 
account  of  goods  entered  at  a  custom-house, 
either  inward  or  outward. 

Bill  of  Exchange.  A  note  ordering  the  pay 
ment  of  a  sum  of  money  at  a  specified  time  and 
place,  to  a  person  therein  appointed,  in  consider 
ation  of  value  received  by  the  drawer  at  another. 

The  negotiation  of  inland  bills  of  exchange,  or 
those  drawn  by  one  person  on  another  residing  in 
the  same  country,  may  be  effected  either  with  or 
without  the  agency  of  bankers. 

Usually  there  are  three  parties  to  a  bill  of  ex 
change,  viz.,  the  drawer,  the  acceptor,  and  the 
indorser.  When  a  party  refuses  to  accept  a  bill 
drawn  upon  him,  the  holder's  notary  takes  pro 
test  upon  it,  whereupon  it  is  returned  to  the 
original  drawer,  who  is  liable  in  damages  to  the 
holder.  Should  the  bill  be  accepted,  but  not 
paid  when  due,  the  holder's  notary  protests  for 
non-payment.  The  acceptor  is  always  liable  to 
the  holder  ;  and  the  holder  has  recourse  also 
against  the  drawer  and  the  indorsers :  the  acceptor 
is  liable  only  for  the  expenses  of  an  action  against 
himself,  therefore  the  holder  must  make  his  elec 
tion  whom  to  sue.  To  preserve  this  recourse  the 
earliest  possible  notice  of  the  non-payment  of  a 
bill,  to  the  drawer,  and  also  to  the  indorsers,  must 
be  given.  Every  bill  must  be  for  payment  of 
money  only  ;  but  it  does  not  affect  the  validity  of 
a  bill  that  its  payment  should  depend  upon  some 
contingency,  provided  it  be  a  contingency  which 
must  eventually  happen,  such  as  the  death  of  a 
party  now  living.  An  alteration  in  the  date,  sum, 
or  time  of  payment  of  a  bill,  will  invalidate  it ; 


but  it  has  been  ruled  that  the  words  "  or  order" 
may  be  interlined  in  it.  A  bill  may  be  accepted 
either  absolutely  or  with  qualifications.  When 
accepted  qualifiedly,  it  does  not  bind  the  acceptor 
till  the  contingency  stipulated  shall  have  hap 
pened.  A  bill  may  be  also  accepted  partially, 
that  is,  it  may  be  drawn  for  $200,  but  accepted 
only  for  $150.  In  all  cases  of  conditional  or 
partial  acceptance,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  holder, 
if  he  wish  to  preserve  his  recourse  against  the 
drawer  and  indorsers,  to  give  notice  to  them 
of  such  partial  or  conditional  acceptance.  When 
a  bill  is  made  payable  a  certain  time  after  sight, 
the  holder  must  get  the  acceptor  to  note  upon 
it  the  day  when  it  was  presented  for  his  ac 
ceptance.  Notice  of  the  dishonoring  of  a  bill 
by  non-payment,  or  non-acceptance,  should  al 
ways  be  given  to  the  immediate  indorser,  next 
day,  through  the  post-office.  Bills  may  be  trans 
ferred  either  by  delivery  only  or  by  indorsation 
and  delivery.  Bills  payable  to  order  require  in 
dorsation  and  delivery ;  but  bills  payable  to 
bearer  may  be  transferred  by  either  mode.  A 
special  indorsement  precludes  the  person  in 
whose  favor  it  is  made  from  making  a  transfer. 
After  the  payment  of  a  part,  a  bill  may  be  in 
dorsed  over  for  the  residue.  If  a  bill  is  not  pre 
sented  for  payment  when  due,  the  drawer  and 
indorser  will  be  exonerated  from  liability.  ,  If  a 
bill  fall  due  on  Sunday,  or  a  holiday,  it  must  be 
presented  for  payment  on  the  day  preceding. 
The  days  of  grace  ought  to  have  expired  before 
a  bill  is  presented  for  payment.  No  days  of 
grace  are  allowed  on  bills  payable  on  demand,  or 
where  no  time  of  payment  is  expressed. 

Bills  of  exchange  may  be  drawn  payable  at 
sight,  or  so  many  days  or  months  after  date,  or 
at  usance,  as  it  is  termed  ;  that  is,  the  usual  term 
allowed  by  the  law  of  the  place  where  the  bill  is 
payable.  Most  countries,  however,  allow  a  few 
days  beyond  the  term  of  payment  for  settling  or 
taking  up  a  bill.  These  are  called  days  of  grace. 

Bill  of  Freedom.  A  full  pass  for  a  neutral  in 
time  of  war. 

Bill  of  Health.  A  certificate  properly  authen 
ticated  by  the  consul,  or  other  proper  authority 
at  any  port,  that  the  ship  comes  from  a  place 
where  no  contagious  disorder  prevails,  and  that 
none  of  the  crew,  at  the  time  of  her  departure, 
were  infected  with  any  such  distemper.  Such 
constitutes  a  clean  bill  of  health,  in  contradis 
tinction  to  &foul  bill. 

Bill  of  Lading.  A  document  signed  by  the 
master  of  a  ship  by  which  he  acknowledges  the 
receipt  of  a  merchant's  goods,  and  undertakes  to 
deliver  the  same  at  the  place  to  which  they  are 
consigned.  Bills  of  lading  are  generally  printed, 
leaving  blanks  to  be  filled  in.  Three  sets  are 
made  out,  one  of  which  should  be  sent  to  the 
consignee  by  mail  ;  the  second  transmitted  to 
him  by  the  vessel  itself ;  and  the  third  retained 
by  the  shipper.  Bills  of  lading  are  transferable 
by  indorsement.  The  indorsement  and  delivery 
of  the  bill  of  lading  transfers  the  property  in 
the  goods  from  the  time  of  such  delivery.  The 
bona  fide  holder  of  the  bill,  indorsed  by  the  con 
signee,  is  entitled  to  the  goods  if  he  purchased 
the  bill  for  a  valuable  consideration.  Where 
there  are  several  bills  of  lading,  each  is  a  con 
tract  in  itself  as  to  the  holder  of  it,  but  the  whole 
make  only  one  contract  as  to  the  master  and 
owners.  If  the  several  parts  of  the  bill  of  lading 


BILL  OF  PARCELS 


78 


BLACK-HOLE 


be  indorsed  to  different  persons,  a  competition 
may  arise  for  the  goods  ;  and  the  rule  generally 
is  that  if  the  equities  be  equal,  the  property  passes 
by  the  bill  first  indorsed.  See  CHARTEK  PARTY. 

Bill  of  Parcels.  A  written  account,  given  by 
seller  to  buyer,  of  the  quantities,  sorts,  and  prices 
of  goods  bought. 

Bill  of  Rights.  In  English  law  the  declara 
tion  delivered  by  the  two  houses  of  Parliament 
to  the  Prince  of  Orange,  February  13, 1688,  at  the 
period  of  his  succession  to  the  British  throne,  in 
which,  after  a  full  specification  of  various  acts 
of  James  II.  which  were  alleged  to  be  illegal, 
the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  people  were  as 
serted.  In  the  United  States  the  term  is  applied 
to  a  declaration  of  the  fundamental  rights  and 
liberties  of  the  people  which,  in  the  shape  of  ab 
stract  propositions  and  elementary  principles, 
forms  part  of  the  constitutions  of  many  of  the 
States. 

Bill  of  Sale.     See  VESSELS,  TITLE  TO. 

Bill  of  Sight.  "When  an  importer,  from 
ignorance  of  the  actual  quantities  or  qualities 
of  goods  assigned  to  him,  is  unable  to  make  an 
exact  entry  at  the  custom-house,  he  is  allowed  to 
make  an  entry  by  bill  of  sight, — that  is,  accord 
ing  to  the  best  description  that  can  be  given. 
On  this,  the  collector  or  comptroller  is  empow 
ered  to  grant  warrant  for  the  landing  of  the 
goods,  the  importer  being  bound  to  make,  within 
three  days  afterwards,  a  perfect  entry,  and  either 
to  pay  down  the  duties  or  to  warehouse  the 
goods. 

Bill  of  Store.  A  license  granted  by  the  cus 
tom-officers  for  carrying,  free  of  duty,  such  stores 
as  may  be  necessary  for  a  voyage.  Returned 
goods  may  be  entered  by  a  bill  of  store. 

Bill-boards.  Projections  of  oak  plank  se 
cured  to  the  bow  of  the  ship  abaft  the  cat-heads 
for  the  fluke  of  the  anchor  to  rest  on. 

Billet.  The  tin  tag  hung  above  the  ham 
mock-hook  on  which  the  number  is  painted. 
An  individual's  situation  or  employment.  A 
memorandum  of  the  various  duties  and  stations 
of  a  seaman,  which  is  given  to  him  when  he  first 
comes  on  board  for  duty. 

Billet-head.  A  scroll-head.  A  round  piece 
of  wood  fitted  to  the  bow  or  stern  of  a  whale- 
boat,  around  which  the  line  is  veered  when  the 
whale  is  struck. 

Billet-wood.     Small  wood  used  for  dunnage. 

Bill-fish.     See  GAR-FISH. 

Billow.     A  great  wave  or  surge  of  the  sea. 

Bindings.  A  general  term  for  beams,  knees, 
clamps,  transoms,  and  other  connecting  parts  of 
a  vessel. 

Binding  Strakes.  Thick  planks  on  the  decks, 
running  just  outside  the  line  of  hatches,  jogged 
down  over  the  beams  and  ledges.  The  principal 
strakes  of  plank  in  a  vessel,  especially  the  sheer- 
strake  and  wales. 

Binge.     To  rinse  a  cask. 

Bingid.     An  old  term  for  locker. 

Bink.    See  BENK. 

Binnacle.  A  case  or  box  to  contain  the  com 
pass.  It  is  fitted  with  a  lamp  to  light  up  the 
card  at  night. 

BINNACLE-LIGHT.  The  lamp  used  in  a  bin 
nacle. 

Binocle.  A  telescope  adapted  to  the  use  of. 
both  eyes. 

BINOCULAR  TELESCOPE.    A  two-barreled  tele 


scope  invented  by  Galileo  in  1617,  though  the 
invention  is  sometimes  credited  to  Schyrleus  de 
Rheita. 

Bior-linn.     A  very  old  word  for  boat. 

Bird's-foot  Sea-star.  The  Palmipes  me 
branaceous,  one  of  the  Arteriadce,  with  a  fl 
thin,  pentagonal  body,  of  a  bright  scarlet  color. 

Bird's-nest.     A  round  top  at  a  mast-head  f< 
a    look-out     station.      A    smaller    crow's-n 
Chiefly  used  in  whalers,  where  a  constant  loo 
out   is   kept  for  whales.     See  EDIBLE  BIRD' 

NEST. 

Bireme.  In  Roman  antiquity,  a  vessel  wi 
two  rows  of  oars. 

Birt.     A  kind  of  turbot. 

Birth-marks.  Marks  denoting  the  depth 
which  a  ship  may  be  loaded  with  safety. 

Biscuit.     Hard  bread  for  naval  use. 

Bishop.  A  name  of  the  great  northern  div 
(Colymbus  glacialis). 

Bismer.  A  name  of  the  stickleback  (Qast\ 
osteus  spinachia}. 

Bissextile  (Lat.  bis,  twice,  and  sextus,  sixth 
"Leap-year."      In   the  Julian   calendar   eve 
fourth  year  consisted  of  366  days.     The  add 
tional  day  was  inserted  after  the  24th  of  Febru 
ary,  which  in  the  Roman  calendar  was  called 
"the  sixth  day  before  the  Calends  of  March," 
and  being  reckoned  twice  over  every  fourth  year 
it  was  called  bissextus  dies,  and   the  year  was 
named  Bissextilis. 

Bit.  A  short  bit  is  equal  to  12£  cents,  a  long 
bit  to  25  cents.  The  term  arose  from  the  cutting 
of  Spanish  silver  coins  into  "  bits."  It  is  still  in 
use  in  the  west,  especially  in  California. 

Bite.  The  hold  which  the  short  end  of  a  lever 
has  under  the  object  to  be  lifted.  When  the 
fluke  of  an  anchor  enters  the  ground  it  is  said 
to  bite. 

Bitt.  To  take  a  turn  with  the  cable  around 
the  head  of  the  bitts.  To  double  bitt  or  to 
weather-bitt  the  cable  is  to  take  an  extra  turn 
around  the  head  of  the  bitts. 

Bitter.  Any  turn  of  the  cable  around  the 
bitts.  Hence  a  ship  is  brought  to  a  bitter  when 
the  chain  has  run  out  to  that  point. 

Bitter-end.  The  last  end.  The  end  of  the 
cable  not  bent  to  the  anchor. 

Bitt-head.     The  upper  part  of  the  bitts. 

Bitt-pin.  A  large  iron  pin  in  the  head  of  the 
bitts  to  prevent  the  chain  from  slipping  off  in 
veering. 

Bitts.  Vertical  timbers  projecting  above  the 
decks.  The  bitts  for  the  cable  are  circular,  and 
are  coated  with  iron.  There  are  generally  two 
pairs  of  them,  the  after  pair  being  used  for  the 
sheet-chains.  The  topsail-sheet  bitts  are  fixed 
near  to,  and  forward  of,  the  masts. 

Bitt-stopper.  A  stopper  used  at  the  bitts  for 
securing  the  cable.  See  STOPPER. 

Bize.  A  cold  wind  from  the  summits  of  the 
Pyrenees. 

Blackamoor.     A  thoroughly  black  negro. 

Black-and-tan.  An  epithet  applied  to  a 
mulatto. 

Black-bird  Catching.     The  slave-trade. 

Black-birds.     Negroes. 

Black-fish.  A  name  applied  to  many  differ 
ent  species  of  cetaceans. 

Black-head.  The  pewitt-gull  (Larus  ridi- 
bundus). 

Black-hole.     A  place  of  solitary  confinement. 


n 


BLACK  INDIES 


79 


BLAKE 


Black  Indies.  Newcastle,  Sunderland,  and 
Shields. 

Blacking  down.  The  operation  of  tarring  and 
blacking  the  rigging. 

Black-jack.  A  piratical-looking  individual. 
The  ensign  of  a  pirate. 

Black-list.  A  record  of  misdemeanors  for 
merly  kept  by  officers  for  their  private  use.  The 
list  of  men  who  are  detailed  for  extra  duty  as  a 
punishment. 

Black  Ship.  A  term  applied  to  a  ship  built 
in  India,  of  teak. 

Black  South-easter.  A  well-known  violent 
wind  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  which  vapory 
clouds,  called  the  Devil's  Table-cloth,  appear  on 
Table  Mountain. 

Black  Squall.  This  squall  may  be  principally 
ascribed  to  the  heated  state  of  the  atmosphere 
near  the  land. 

Black-strake.  The  range  of  planks  just  above 
the  wales. 

Black-strap.  Bad  port  wine.  The  dark  wines 
of  the  Mediterranean. 

Black-tang.  The  sea-weed  Fucus  vesicolosus, 
or  tangle. 

Blackwall-hitch.  A  hitch  made  by  putting 
the  bight  of  a  rope  over  the  back  of  a  hook,  and 
jamming  the  end  under  the  standing  part.  It 
is  used  principally  for  the  hauling  part  of  a 
tackle  when  there  is  not  sufficient  length  to 
make  a  cat's-paw. 

Black  Whale.  A  name  for  the  right  whale 
of  the  south  seas  (Balcena  australis), 

Black  Vomit.  A  copious  vomiting  of  dark- 
colored  matter,  or  the  substance  so  discharged  ; 
one  of  the  most  fatal  symptoms  in  yellow  fever. 

Blad.  A  term  used  on  the  northern  coasts  of 
Great  Britain  for  a  squall  accompanied  by  rain. 

Bladder-fish.  A  name  for  the  tetrodon.  See 
BALLOON-FISH. 

Blade.  The  cutting  part  of  a  sword  or  cutlass. 
The  part  of  the  arm  of  an  anchor  prepared  to 
receive  the  palm.  One  of  the  projecting  arms 
of  a  screw-propeller.  The  part  of  an  oar  which 
is  immersed  in  the  water  in  rowing. 

Blae,  or  Blea.  The  alburnum  or  sap-wood  of 
timber. 

Blake,  George  S.,  Commodore  U.S.N.  Born 
in  Massachusetts.  Appointed  midshipman,  April 
23,  1818  ;  commissioned  as  lieutenant,  March  31, 
1827;  West  India  Squadron,  1829;  survey  of 
Narragansett  Bay,  1831-33 ;  navy-yard,  Phila 
delphia,  1834  ;  coast  survey,  1837-48  ;  navy-yard, 
Philadelphia,  1848 ;  commissioned  as  commander, 
February  27,  1847 ;  fleet-captain,  Mediterranean 
Squadron,  1850-52  ;  bureau  construction,  1853- 
55 ;  commissioned  as  captain,  September  14, 1855 ; 
special  duty,  1856-57;  superintendent  Naval 
Academy,  1858-65 ;  commissioned  as  commo 
dore,  July  16,  1862 ;  light-house  inspector,  1866- 
69;  died  "at  Longwood,  Mo.,  June  24,  1871. 

Blake,  Homer  C.,  Commodore  U.S.N.  Born 
in  New  York,  1822.  Appointed  midshipman, 
March  2,  1840;  frigate  "Constellation,"  East 
India  Squadron,  1841-43  ;  sloop  "  Preble,"  coast 
of  Africa,  1843-45;  naval  school,  1846;  sloop 
"Preble,"  Pacific  Squadron,  1846-48. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  July  11, 
1846;  receiving-ship,  New  York,  1849-50; 
frigate  "  Raritan,"  Pacific  Squadron,  1850-52; 
receiving-ship,  Boston,  1853-56. 

Commissioned   as   lieutenant,  September   14, 


1855 ;  frigate  "  St.  Lawrence,"  Brazil  Squadron, 
1857-59;  frigate  "Sabine,"  Home  Squadron, 
1861—62. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant-commander,  July 
16, 1862;  commanding  steamer  "Hatteras,"  West 
ern  Gulf  Blockading  Squadron,  1862-63.  On 
January  11,  1863,  the  "Hatteras,"  while  at  an 
chor  off  Galveston,  Texas,  was  ordered  by  signal 
from  the  "Brooklyn,"  flag-ship  of  the  division 
blockading  Galveston,  to  chase  a  sail  to  the 
southward  and  eastward.  Commander  Blake  at 
once  obeyed  the  signal,  and  steamed  at  all  speed 
in  the  direction  indicated,  and  rapidly  gained 
upon  the  suspicious  vessel,  which  was  discovered 
to  be  a  steamer.  When  within  about  four  miles 
of  the  vessel,  it  was  observed  that  she  had  ceased 
to  steam,  and  was  lying  "broadside  on,"  await 
ing  the  approach  of  the  "  Hatteras."  When  at 
about  the  distance  of  seventy-five  yards,  Com 
mander  Blake  hailed,  and  asked,  "  What  steamer 
is  that?"  The  reply  was,  "  Her  Britannic  Ma 
jesty 's  ship « Vixen.'  "  Commander  Blake  ordered 
a  boat  to  be  sent  aboard,  but  before  the  order 
could  be  obeyed,  the  commander  of  the  strange 
craft  hailed  and  said,  "  We  are  the  Confederate 
steamer  '  Alabama,'  "  which  was  accompanied  by 
a  broadside.  The  "  Hatteras"  returned  the  fire 
almost  instantly,  and  steamed  directly  for  the 
"Alabama"  in  the  hope  to  carry  her  by  board 
ing  ;  but  the  attempt  was  defeated  by  the  com 
mander  of  the  piratical  craft.  At  length  a  shell 
entered  the  hold  of  the  "  Hatteras,"  and  at  the 
same  instant  another  shell  passed  through  the 
"sick  bay,"  exploding  in  an  adjoining  compart 
ment,  and  setting  fire  to  the  vessel.  Still  another 
shell  entered  the  cylinder,  filling  the  engine-room 
and  deck  with  steam,  and  depriving  Commander 
Blake  of  all  power  to  manoeuvre  his  vessel  or 
work  the  pumps,  upon  which  the  reduction  of 
the  fire  depended.  With  the  vessel  on  fire  in 
two  places  and  her  engine  disabled,  Commander 
Blake  felt  that  it  was  useless  to  sacrifice  the  lives 
of  his  command,  and  so  ordered  a  lee  gun  to  be 
fired.  The  "Alabama"  then  asked  if  assistance 
was  desired,  to  which  an  affirmative  answer  was 
given.  After  considerable  delay,  the  "  Ala 
bama"  sent  assistance,  and  the  crew  and  officers 
of  the  "  Hatteras"  were  transferred  to  the  "  Ala 
bama."  Ten  minutes  after  the  crew  left  her 
decks,  the  "Hatteras"  went  down  bow  first. 
The  battery  upon  the  "  Alabama"  brought  into 
action  against  the  "Hatteras"  numbered  seven 
guns,  consisting  of  four  long  32-pounders,  one 
100-pounder  rifled  gun,  one  68-pounder,  and  one 
24-pounder  rifled  gun.  The  guns  used  in  the  action 
by  the  "Hatteras ' '  were  two  short  32-pounders,  one 
30-pounder  rifled  Parrot,  and  one  20-pounder 
rifled  gun.  The  action  was  fought  at  a  distance  of 
about  seventy-five  yards.  The  crew  of  the  "  Hat 
teras"  was  landed  at  Port  Royal,  Jamaica,  and 
was  with  all  dispatch  conveyed  from  Port 
Royal  to  Kingston,  under  the  guidance  of  the 
American  vice-consul,  John  N.  Camp.  Com 
manding  steamer  < '  Utah , ' '  North  Atlantic  Block 
ading  Squadron,  1863-65;  shelled  three  divisions 
of  rebel  army  at  Malvern  Hill,  1864  ;  assisted 
to  repulse  an  attack  of  the  rebels  on  the  right  of 
the  army  of  the  James,  October,  1864;  engage 
ment  with  rebel  batteries  at  Trent  Reach,  James 
River,  1865;  navy-yard,  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
1866-68. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  March  3,  1866 ; 


BLAKE 


BLOCK 


commanding  steam-sloop  "  Swatara,"  European 
Squadron,  1868-69 ;  commanding  steam-sloop 
"Alaska,"  Asiatic  Fleet,  1870-72. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  May  25,  1871 ;  com 
manding  naval  rendezvous,  New  York,  1873-78. 

Promoted  to  commodore,  1880,  and  died  in 
February  of  that  year. 

Blake,  Robert.  Born  at  Bridgewater,  in 
Somersetshire,  in  1599.  In  the  annals  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  England  few  names  stand 
higher  than  that  of  this  bold  seaman.  He  was 
appointed  for  his  pre-eminent  ability  and  singu 
lar  intrepidity  "General  of  the  Sea"  in  1649, 
yet  he  was  fifty  years  of  age  before  he  became  a 
sailor.  One  of  his  earliest  exploits  was  the  de 
feat  of  Prince  Rupert's  fleet  on  the  Tagus  in 
1651.  In  1652  he  gained  a  victory  over  Van 
Tromp  after  a  running  fight  of  three  days.  The 
piratical  Tunisians  had  no  mercy  at  his  hands. 
His  greatest  achievement  was  at  Santa  Cruz,  in 
1657.  The  Spaniards,  with  several  treasure- 
ships,  were,  as  they  supposed,  impregnable  with 
in  the  fortified  harbor;  but  Blake  dashed  in, 
faced  the  fire  of  the  castle,  silenced  the  smaller  re 
doubts,  and,  seizing  the  richly-laden  galleons, 
sailed  out  without  the  loss  of  a  single  ship.  It 
was  truly  said  of  him  that  "  it  would  have  been 
hard  to  find  the  thing  which  Blake  dared  not 
do."  Died  at  Plymouth,  August  17,  1657. 

Blakeley,  Johnston,  Captain  U.S.N.  Born 
at  Seaford,  county  Down,  Ireland,  October,  1781; 
lost  at  sea  in  1814.  His  father  emigrated  to  Wil 
mington,  N.  C.  The  members  of  his  family  dying 
one  by  one,  he  was  left  alone  in  the  world,  and  had 
also  the  misfortune  to  lose  the  little  remnant  of 
their  property.  A  friend  gave  him  an  education, 
and  procured  for  him  a  midshipman's  warrant, 
February  5, 1800.  Made  lieutenant,  February  10, 
1807;  master-commander,  July  24, 1813;  captain, 
November  24,  1814.  In  1813  he  commanded  the 
brig  "  Enterprise,"  and  did  good  service  in  pro 
tecting  our  coasting  trade.  In  August  he  was  ap 
pointed  to  "The  Wasp,"  in  which,  June 28, 1814, 
he  captured,  after  an  action  of  nineteen  minutes, 
in  latitude  48°  36'  north,  H.  B.  M.  ship  "  Rein 
deer,"  which  he  was  obliged  to  burn.  This 
severe  action  showed  the  manifest  superiority  of 
American  gunnery.  The  "Reindeer"  made 
three  attempts  to  board,  in  the  last  of  which  her 
gallant  commander  was  slain.  For  this  exploit 
Congress  voted  him  a  gold  medal  with  suitable 
devices.  September  1,  1814,  in  a  severe  action 
with  the  brig  "Avon,"  he  compelled  her  to 
strike ;  but  the  approach  of  another  enemy  pre 
vented  his  taking  possession  of  her.  "  The 
Wasp"  was  afterward  spoken  off  the  Western 
Isles,  and  on  September  21  captured  the  brig 
"  Atalanta,"  which  arrived  safely  in  Savannah, 
and  brought  the  last  direct  intelligence  ever  re 
ceived  from  "  The  Wasp."  Being  heavily  armed 
and  sparred,  and  very  deep-waisted,  she  probably 
foundered  in  a  gale.  His  only  child,  a  daughter, 
was  educated  at  the  expense  of  the  State  of  North 
Carolina. 

Blank.  The  white  mark  in  the  centre  of  a 
target.  See  POINT-BLANK  and  CARTRIDGE. 

Blanket.  The  layer  of  blubber  under  the  skin 
of  a  whale. 

Blare.  To  bellow  or  roar  vehemently.  A 
mixture  of  hair  and  tar,  used  for  calking  the 
seams  of  boats. 

Blarney.     Idle  discourse ;  obsequious  flattery. 


Blashy.  Watery  or  dirty ;  as,  a  blashy  day. 
In  parlance,  trifling,  flimsy. 

Blast.     A  sudden  and  violent  gust  of  wind. 

Blast-engine.  An  apparatus  for  urging  the 
fire  of  a  furnace.  A  ventilating  machine  to  draw 
off  the  foul  air  from  a  ship's  hold  and  force  fresh 
air  into  it. 

Blast-furnace.  A  furnace  in  which  the  sup 
ply  of  air  is  furnished  by  a  pneumatic  apparatus. 

Blast-pipe.  A  pipe  to  convey  steam  into  the 
smoke-stack  to  aid  the  draft. 

Blather.     Thin  mud  ;  idle  nonsense. 

Blay.     A  name  of  the  bleak  (which  see). 

Blazer.  A  term  applied  to  a  mortar-vessel, 
from  the  great  emission  of  flame  when  the  mor 
tar  is  fired. 

Blazing-star.     A  popular  name  for  a  comet. 

Bleak.  The  Leuciscus  alburnus  of  naturalists, 
and  the  fresh-water  sprat  of  Izaak  Walton.  The 
name  of  this  fish  is  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  blican, 
owing  to  its  shining  whiteness, — its  lustrous  scales 
having  long  been  used  in  the  manufacture  of  false 
pearls. 

Bleed  the  Buoys.     To  let  the  water  out. 

Bleeding  the  Monkey.  The  monkey  was  a 
tall  pyramidal  kid  or  bucket,  which  conveyed 
the  grog  from  the  grog-tub  to  the  mess, — stealing 
from  this  in  transitu  was  termed  bleeding  the 
monkey. 

Blenny.  A  small  acanthopterygious  fish. 
(Blennius). 

Blether-head.     A  blockhead. 

Blethering.  Talking  idle  nonsense ;  insolent 
prate. 

Blind.  A  name  on  the  west  coast  of  Scot 
land  for  the  pogge,  or  miller's-thumb  (Coitus 
cataphractus}. 

Blind-bucklers.  Those  fitted  for  the  hawse- 
holes,  which  have  no  aperture  for  the  cable,  and 
used  at  sea  to  prevent  the  water  coming  in. 

Blind-harbor.  One,  the  entrance  of  which  is 
so  shut  in  as  not  readily  to  be  perceived. 

Blind-rock.  One  lying  just  under  the  surface 
of  the  water,  so  as  not  to  be  visible  in  calms. 

Blind-shell.  A  shell  with  a  large  fuse-hole 
and  filled  with  composition,  to  indicate  the  range 
at  night.  A  shell  which  does  not  explode. 

Blind-stakes.     A  sort  of  river-weir. 

Blink.     A  term  in  Greenland  for  iceberg. 

Blink  of  the  Ice.  The  reflection  of  an  iceberg 
in  the  air  above  it. 

Blirt.    A  gust  of  wind  and  rain. 

Bloat.  To  dry  by  smoke ;  a  method  applied 
almost  exclusively  to  cure  herrings.  Bloated  is 
also  applied  to  any  half-dried  fish.  i 

BLOATER.     A  herring  dried  by  smoke. 

Blocco.  Paper  and  hair  used  in  calking  a 
vessel's  bottom. 

Block.  The  large  piece  of  timber  out  of  which 
a  figure-head  is  carved.  One  of  the  transverse 
timbers  on  which  a  ship  is  built  or  placed  for  re 
pairs.  A  flat  oval  piece  of  wood  containing  one 
or  more  sheaves.  Blocks  are  used  either  to  gain 
an  increase  of  power  or  to  give  a  rope  a  fair  lead. 
A  block  consists  of  the  shell,  sheave,  pin,  and 
strap.  The  shell  is  the  frame  or  outside  part,  and 
is  made  of  ash  or  elm.  In  the  morticed  block 
the  shell  is  composed  of  but  one  piece  of  wood ; 
in  the  made  block  it  consists  of  two  or  more  pieces 
pinned  together,  the  two  principal  outside  pieces 
being  called  cheeks.  On  the  sides  and  at  each 
end  of  the  shell  is  cut  a  single  or  a  double  score. 


BLOCKADE 


81 


BLUBBER-FORKS 


which  allows  the  strap  to  set  snugly  on  the  block 
and  prevents  it  from  slipping  off.  The  size  of  a 
block  is  determined  by  the  length  of  the  shell. 
The  sheave  is  the  wheel  over  which  the  rope  runs, 
and  is  made  of  metal  or  lignum-vitse.  It  has  a 
hole  in  the  centre  to  receive  the  pin.  In  a  ligr 
num-vitse  sheave  this  hole  is  generally  bouched, 
or  lined  with  metal,  to  decrease  the  friction  and 
to  protect  the  sheave  from  chafe.  Friction  rollers 
are  sometimes  inserted  in  the  sheave  when  it  is 
not  to  be  subjected  to  a  very  great  strain.  Around 
the  circumference  of  the  sheave  a  groove  is  cut, 
which  serves  to  retain  the  rope  in  place  and  pre 
vent  it  from  chafing  against  the  shell.  The  pin 
is  the  bolt  through  the  shell  and  sheave  on  which 
the  latter  revolves.  The  strap  is  a  rope  which 
encircles  the  shell,  and  by  which  it  is  attached  to 
its  particular  place.  The  swallow  is  the  aperture 
through  which  the  rope  reeves.  The  hook  is 
attached  to  the  strap,  and  is  prevented  from 
chafing  by  means  of  a  thimble.  Two  of  these 
thimbles  joined  together  are  called  lock-thimbles. 
The  breech  is  the  end  of  the  block  farthest  from 
the  hook..  The  becket  is  a  small  grommet  to 
which  the  standing  part  of  the  fall  is  made  fast. 
Blocks  are  single,  double,  threefold,  or  fourfold, 
according  to  the  number  of  their  sheaves,  and 
vary  in  size  from  four  to  thirty  inches.  Iron 
blocks,  and  wooden  blocks  with  iron  straps,  are 
now  coming  more  generally  into  use.  Under  the 
general  head  of  blocks  come  hearts,  collar-hearts, 
dead-eyes,  bull's-eyes,  wooden  thimbles,  fair- 
leaders,  euphroes,  cleats,  cavils,  wooden  belaying- 
pins,  wooden  rollers,  chocks,  toggles,  travelers, 
wooden  hanks,  hoops,  trucks,  etc.  (which  see 
under  their  proper  heads).  Blocks  receive  their 
names  from  some  peculiarity  of  form,  from  the 
position  they  occupy,  or  from  the  rope  leading 
through  them.  For  description  of  blocks,  see 
under  the  following  heads:  BEE-BLOCKS,  or 
BEES,  BRAIL-,  CAT-,  CHEEK-,  CLEW-GARNET-, 
CLEWLINE-,  CHUNK-,  CLUMP-,  D-,  DASHER-, 
DOUBLE-,  FIDDLE-,  FISH-,  FIXED-,  FLY-,  GIRT- 
LINE-,  GIN-,  GUN-TACKLE-,  HANGING-,  JACK-, 
JEER-,  JEWEL-,  LONG-TACKLE-,  MONKEY-, 
NINE-PIN-,  NIB-,  PATENT-,  QUARTER-,  RUN 
NING-,  RACK-,  SHOE-,  SPAN-,  SPRING-,  SINGLE-, 
SHOULDER-,  SISTER-,  SECRET-,  STANDING-, 
SNATCH-,  TELEGRAPH-,  TREBLE-,  TAIL-,  TOP-, 
TYE-,  VIOL-,  and  WARPING-BLOCK. 

Blockade.  The  shutting  up  of  a  port  or  ports 
by  troops  or  ships,  so  as  to  prevent  egress  or  in 
gress,  or  the  reception  of  supplies.  To  constitute 
a  blockade  the  investing  power  must  be  able  to 
apply  its  force  to  every  point  of  practicable  ac 
cess,  so  as  to  render  it  dangerous  to  attempt  to 
enter  or  depart.  See  INTERNATIONAL  LAW. 

Block-and-block.  An  expression  denoting 
that  the  two  blocks  of  a  tackle  have  been  drawn 
together,  and  that  the  tackle  is  inoperative.  Syn 
onymous  with  two-blocks  and  chock-a-block. 

Blockmaker.     A  manufacturer  of  blocks. 

Blockmaking  Machine.  The  first  set  of  ma 
chinery  for  making  blocks  was  invented  by  Bru 
nei  early  in  the  present  century,  and  was  set  up 
at  Portsmouth,  England,  in  1808.  The  saving 
in  the  cost  of  blocks 'is  about  $100, 000  per  annum. 

Blood-sucker.  A  skulker;  one  who  throws 
his  proportion  of  work  on  the  shoulders  of  his 
shipmates. 

Bloody.  A  slang  superlative,  principally  used 
by  Englishmen. 


Bloody  Flag.     A  large  red  flag. 

Bloom.  A  warm  blast  of  wind.  A  mass  of 
iron  which  has  been  deprived  of  its  dross  by 
squeezing  or  shingling. 

Blore.     An  old  word  for  a  stiff  gale. 

Blouse.     A  light  single-breasted  sack-coat. 

Blout.  A  name  to  denote  the  sudden  break 
ing  up  of  a  gale. 

Blow.  A  gale  of  wind.  The  moving  of  the 
air  ;  as,  the  winds  blow.  A  violent  stroke  of  the 
hand,  or  any  instrument.  To  eject  wind  from 
the  mouth ;  hence  the  term  as  applied  to  the 
breathing  of  cetaceans, — the  air  expelled  from 
the  lungs,  being  heavily  charged  with  moisture, 
condenses  on  contact  with  the  atmosphere,  and 
appears  like  a  column  of  steam.  There  she 
blows!  the  cry  of  the  look-out  when  a  whale  is 
sighted. 

Blowe.  An  old  word  for  scold;  hence  the 
term  "blowing-up"  for  a  reprimand. 

Blow-holes.  The  nostrils  of  the  cetaceans. 
In  some  species  they  are  slits  placed  side  by  side  ; 
in  others  there  is  but  one  opening. 

Blow  Home.  The  wind  does  not  blow  home 
when  its  course  is  diverted  by  a  chain  of  moun 
tains  or  other  obstacle. 

Blowing  Great  Guns.  An  expression  to  de 
note  a  violent  gale. 

Blowing  Off.  The  operation  of  ejecting  from 
the  boiler  the  water  which  has  become  saturated 
with  salt,  to  prevent  the  formation  of  scale. 

Blowing  the  Grampus.  Throwing  water  over 
a  sleeper  on  watch. 

Blowing  Through.  The  operation  of  clear 
ing  the  valves,  cylinders,  and  condenser  of  air 
before  starting  the  engine. 

Blowing  Weather.  A  term  to  signify  a  con 
tinuance  of  strong  gales. 

Blow-off  Pipe.  A  pipe  leading  from  the 
bottom  of  the  boiler  to  convey  the  sediment 
overboard. 

Blown.  Half-dried ;  applied  to  cod  and  her 
rings. 

Blown  Itself  Out.  A  gale  is  said  to  have 
blown  itself  out  when  its  energy  is  expended. 

Blow-out.     A  jollification  or  spree. 

Blow-pipe.  An  engine  of  offense  used  by  the 
Araucanians  and  Borneans,  and  with  the  latter 
termed  sumpitan:  the  poisoned  arrow,  sumpit, 
will  wound  at  the  distance  of  140  or  more  yards. 
The  arrow  is  forced  through  by  the  forcible  and 
sudden  exertion  of  the  lungs.  A  wafer  can  be 
hit  at  30  yards  to  a  certainty,  and  small  birds 
are  unerringly  stunned  at  30  yards  by  pellets  of 
clay. 

Blow  the  Gaff.  To  reveal  a  secret;  to  expose 
or  inform  against  a  person. 

Blow-through  Valve.  A  valve  admitting 
steam  into  the  cylinder  and  condenser,  in  order 
to  clear  them  of  air  and  water  before  starting  the 
engine. 

Blow  Up.     To  abuse  angrily. 

Blow-valve.  The  snifting-valve.  The  valve 
which  permits  the  steam  to  escape  on  blowing 
through. 

Blubber.  The  layer  of  fat  in  whales  between 
the  skin  and  the  flesh,  varying  from  10  to  20 
inches  in  thickness,  which  is  flinched  or  peeled 
off,  and  boiled  for  oil.  See  SEA-BLUBBER. 

Blubber-forks  and  Choppers.  The  imple 
ments  with  which  blubber  is  "made  off,"  or  cut 
for  stowing  away. 


BLUBBER-GUY 


82 


BOARDING 


Blubber-guy.  A  large  rope  stretched  from 
the  main-  to  the  foremast-head  of  whalers,  to 
which  the  speck-falls  are  attached  for  the  opera 
tion  of  flensing. 

Blue.  Till  aWsblue:  carried  to  the  utmost, 
—a  phrase  borrowed  from  the  idea  of  a  vessel 
making  out  of  port,  and  getting  into  blue  water. 
To  look  blue,  to  be  surprised,  disappointed,  or 
taken  aback,  with  a  countenance  expressive  of 
displeasure. 

Blue-book.  The  name  by  which  the  book 
containing  the  regulations  for  the  navy  is  known  ; 
also,  a  book  containing  the  names  of  all  persons 
in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  government, 
with  the  amount  of  their  pay. 

Blue-jackets.  The  seamen  as  distinguished 
from  the  marines. 

Blue-light.  A  pyrotechnical  preparation  for 
signals  by  night.  Also  called  Bengal  light. 

Blue-lightism.     Affected  sanctimoniousness. 

Blue  Moon.     An  indefinite  period. 

Blue-nose.  A  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  or  a 
Nova  Scotian  vessel. 

Blue  Peter.  A  flag  with  a  blue  ground  and 
a  white  centre,  which,  when  hoisted  at  the  fore, 
denotes  that  the  ship  is  ready  to  sail.  It  corre 
sponds  to  the  cornet  in  the  navy. 

Blue  Pigeon.  A  nickname  for  the  sounding 
lead. 

Blue  Water.     The  open  ocean. 

Bluff.  An  abrupt  highland,  projecting  almost 
perpendicularly  into  the  sea,  and  presenting  a 
bold  front,  rather  rounded  than  cliffy  in  out 
line. 

Bluff-bowed.  .  Applied  to  a  vessel  that  has 
broad  and  flat  bows, — that  is,  full  and  square 
formed  ;  the  opposite  of  lean. 

Bluff-headed.  Built  with  the  stem  nearly 
straight  up-and-down. 

Blunderbuss.  A  short  fire-arm  with  a  large 
bore  and  wide  mouth. 

Blunk.     A  sudden  squall. 

Blustrous.     Stormy. 

Boadnash.     Buckhemshein  coins  of  Barbary. 

Boanga.  A  Malay  piratical  vessel  impelled 
by  oars. 

Board.  A  piece  of  sawed  timber  relatively 
broad  and  thin.  The  terms  board  and  plank  are 
often  indiscriminately  used.  See  PLANK. 

The  deck  or  interior  of  a  vessel.  To  board  a 
vessel  is  to  enter  either  in  a  friendly  or  a  hostile 
manner. 

The  side  of  a*  vessel.  Overboard,  over  the  side, 
in  the  water.  In-board,  inside,  or  farther  from 
the  side.  Out-board,  nearer  to  the  side.  Board 
to  board,  or  board  and  board,  side  by  side. 

The  stretch  which  a  ship  makes  on  one  tack  in 
beating  to  windward.  To  make  a  (jood  board,  to 
lose  little  or  nothing  to  leeward.  To  make  short 
boards,  to  tack  frequently.  When  a  ship  luffs 
up  into  the  wind  until  the  headway  has  nearly 
ceased,  and  is  then  made  to  pay  off  on  the  same 
tack,  she  is  said  to  make  a  'half-board;  with 
smooth  water  and  a  good  working  breeze  a  ship 
can  eat  her  way  up  to  windward  in  this  manner. 
When  the  vessel  goes  astern  she  makes  a  stern- 
board.  It  is  advisable  in  this  case  not  to  put  the 
helm  hard  over,  as  great  strain  would  be  brought 
on  the  rudder. 

A  word  applied  to  certain  individuals  in  a  col 
lective  capacity  who  are  appointed  by  competent 
authority  for  the  management  of  "some  public 


office  or  trust ;  as,  The  Light-house  Board  (which 
see);  or  to  perform  certain  specified  duties;  as, 
The  Board  for  the  Examination  of  Officers  for 
Promotion  and  Retirement  (which  see),  and  The 
Board  of  Inspection  (which  see).  There  are  also 
boards  convened  from  time  to  time  for  the  pur 
pose  of  collating  facts  and  expressing  opinions, 
of  an  advisory  character,  respecting  the  matters 
submitted  to  them  by  the  convening  authority. 

BOARD,  THE  ACADEMIC.  The  collective  des 
ignation  of  the  heads  of  the  departments  of 
instruction  at  the  Naval  Academy. 

Boarders.  The  men  detailed  to  attack  the 
enemy  by  boarding.  They  are  armed  with  pis 
tols  and  cutlasses,  and  are  led  by  the  executive- 
officer.  Thej7  are  summoned  by  verbal  order  and 
by  the  springing  of  the  rattle,  and  assemble  in 
the  part  of  the  ship  designated,  keeping  under 
cover  as  much  as  possible. 

Boarding.  The  act  of  entering  a  vessel,  either 
with  hostile  intent  or  in  a  friendly  manner. 

In  boarding  with  hostile  intent  the  way  is 
cleared  for  the  boarders  by  a  brisk  fire  from  the 
rifles  and  machine-guns,  by  hand-grenades,  and 
by  streams  of  hot  water  from  the  steam-pumps. 
The  great  guns  are  depressed,  and,  at  the  order 
board  the  enemy,  the  boarders  gain  the  enemy's 
deck  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  use  every  en 
deavor  to  clear  the  decks  by  disabling  or  driving 
the  men  below.  While  the  boarders  are  absent 
from  their  guns,  the  remaining  men  keep  up  as 
rapid  a  fire  as  is  possible  under  the  circumstances, 
and  the  ports  of  the  guns  not  in  use  are  closed. 

If  the  boarders  are  driven  back  they  rally  on 
the  flanks  of  the  riflemen,  taking  care  to  get 
quickly  out  of  the  line  of  their  fire. 

If  the  enemy  manifest  a  disposition  to  board, 
the  marines  and  riflemen  are  called  away,  and 
open  fire  from  favorable  positions,  and  the  great 
guns,  howitzers,  and  machine-guns  are  brought 
to  bear  on  the  enemy's  boarders.  Every  effort 
should  be  made  to  shake  or  disperse  them,  and, 
if  not  successful,  it  will  be  necessary,  before  the 
enemy  closes,  to  call  all  hands  repel  boarders. 
The  marines  and  riflemen  form  on  the  side  which 
is  engaged,  opposite  to  the  point  where  the  en 
emy  is  likely  to  attempt  to  enter,  the  boarders 
being  on  the  flank  and  in  the  rear.  The  re 
serves  are  posted  in  the  rear  of  the  flanks  of  the 
riflemen..  If  the  enemy  gain  a  footing  he  must 
be  charged  in  force,  as  the  necessity  for  driving 
him  back  at  once  is  absolute.  Rallying-points 
should  be  designated,  and  barricades  should  be 
constructed.  The  shaft  of  a  paddle-wheel  ves 
sel,  or  a  gun  run  in  to  a  taut  breeching,  affords 
a  good  shelter. 

When  at  close  quarters  the  sword  is  a  more 
effective  weapon  than  the  rifle  and  bayonet,  in 
which  case  the  bayonets  are  unfixed  and  used  as 
swords. 

When  there  is  a  possibility  of  being  boarded, 
boarding-nettings  are  got  up,  and  the  torpedoes 
are  got  ready  for  use. 

BOARDING  A  VESSEL  UNDER  SAIL.  Board  to 
leeward,  and  do  not  go  alongside  while  she  has 
stern-way  on.  See  that  the  line  by  which  the 
boat  rides  is  long  enough  to  permit  the  boat  to 
rise  and  fall  with  the  sea.  The  line  should  not 
be  belayed,  but  kept  in  hand  ready  for  shipping. 
Be  careful  that  the  masts  or  oars  do  not  take 
under  the  quarter-boats  or  chains. 

BOARDING  A  WRECK.     The  chief  dangers  to 


.. 


BOARDLING 


83 


BOATS 


be  apprehended  in  boarding  a  wreck  are  the  col 
lision  of  the  boat  with  the  ship,  or  with  floating 
spars,  and  the  swamping  of  the  boat  alongside. 
The  greater  violence  of  the  sea  on  the  weather 
side  makes  it  preferable  to  board  to  leeward.  The 
dangers  to  be  guarded  against  in  boarding  on  the 
lee  side  are  the  falling  of  the  masts  and  collision 
with  floating  spars. 

The  large  life-boats  that  go  off  to  wrecks 
anchor  to  windward  and  veer  down,  care  being 
taken  to  prevent  actual  contact. 

BOARDING-BOOK.  A  book  in  which  are  entered 
the  particulars  in  regard  to  every  ship  boarded. 
It  is  not  taken  on  board  men-of-war,  but  the 
particulars  are  afterwards  registered. 

BOARDING-NETTINGS.  A  network  of  wire  ropes 
or  hemp  ropes  soaked  in  tar  and  sanded,  to  pre 
vent  boarders  from  entering  a  ship.  The  lower 
edge  is  made  fast  to  the  rail,  arid  the  upper  edge 
triced  up  by  whips  or  stopped  to  the  ridge-rope. 

BOARDING-PIKE.  A  defensive  lance  against 
boarders. 

BOARD  IN  THE  SMOKE.  A  figurative  expres 
sion,  signifying  to  create  confusion  or  enthu 
siasm,  and  then  to  endeavor  to  attain  one's  ob 
ject  before  the  effect  has  passed  away.  The 
expression  arose  from  the  custom  of  delivering 
a  broadside  as  the  boarders  were  thrown  upon 
the  enemy's  decks. 

Boardling  (Eng.}.  A  flippant  understrapper 
of  the  admiralty  or  navy-board. 

Board  of  Trade.     See  TRADE,  BOARD  OF. 

Boat.  A  small  open  vessel,  propelled  by  oars 
or  sails,  and  sometimes  by  stearn.  The  name  is 
also  applied  to  large  river-craft  propelled  entirely 
by  steam,  and  also  to  a  vessel  having  no  motive 
power  of  its  own ;  as,  a  canal-boat.  Boats  are 
built  of  various  materials  ;  as,  wood,  iron,  paper, 
etc.  Wood  is  used  for  boats  for  ordinary  pur 
poses,  iron  for  heavy  boats,  and  wood  or  paper  for 
racing-boats. 

The  frame  of  a  carvel-built  boat  generally  con 
sists  of  a  floor  and  two  futtocks,  and  the  planks 
do  not  overlap,  but  make  flush  seams,  which  are 
calked.  In  the  clinker-built  boat  the  lower  edge 
of  each  plank  laps  over  the  upper  edge  of  the 
one  next  below.  A  diagonal-built  boat  is  one  in 
which  the  outer  skin  consists  of  two  layers  of 
planking  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  and 
making  an  angle  of  45°  with  the  keel. 

Boats  are  square-sterned,  or  sharp  at  both 
ends ;  in  the  latter  case  they  are  called  whale- 
boats.  Single-banked  boats  have  one  oarsman  to 
each  thwart,  and  a  double-banked  boat  has  two. 
Oars  are  double-banked  when  each  oar  is  pulled 
by  two  men. 

The  boats  in  use  in  the  navy  are  as  follows : 
steam-launches,  steam-cutters,  launches,  cutters, 
whale-boa'ts,  dingys,  barges,  and  gigs.  For  a 
description  of  these  various  boats,  with  their 
various  rigs,  see  under  the  proper  heads.  See 
LIFE-BOATS. 

Up  boats,  the  order  to  hoist  all  the  boats.  To 
secure  a  boat  for  sea,  to  rig  in  the  davits,  and 
pass  the  gripes  around  the  boat  and  strong-back. 
To  call  away  a  boat,  to  pass  the  word  "for  the 
crew  to  man  their  boat.  To  trim  boat,  to  so  dis.- 
pose  the  weight  in  her  that  she  shall  float  up 
right.  To  bail  a  boat,  to  throw  out  the  water 
that  may  be  in  her.  To  moor  a  boat,  to  secure  it 
at  a  buoy  or  wharf.  To  wind  a  boat,  to  slue  it 
around  end  for  end.  To  man  a  boat,  to  send  the 


crew  in  it  to  manage  it.  To  boat  the  oars,  to 
place  them  on  the  thwarts  fore-and-aft  ready  for 
use. 

Boats,  Equipment  of. 

KUNNING-BOATS,  or  boats  which  do  the  or 
dinary  duty  of  a  ship,  are  supplied  with  oars, 
boat-hooks,  fenders,  breaker,  anchor,  colors, 
cushions,  painter,  etc.  Masts,  sails,  compass, 
and  awnings  will  be  carried  as  ordered. 

ARMED  BOATS  are  equipped  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  service  they  are  to  perform. 

DISTANT  SERVICE.  The  boat  is  supplied 
with  provisions,  fuel,  cooking  utensils,  ammu 
nition,  arms  and  accoutrements,  tools  and  arti 
cles  for  repairing  damages,  boat-gear,  means  of 
making  signals,  and  a  medical  outfit.  If  a  gun 
is  c'arried,  ammunition  and  implements  for  the 
service  of  the  piece  afloat  are  supplied. 

CUTTING  OUT  VESSELS,  or  CONTENDING  WITH 
OTHER  BOATS.  The  boat  is  supplied  with  am 
munition,  arms  and  accoutrements,  tools  and 
articles  for  repairing  damages,  medical  outfit, 
means  of  making  signals,  a  small  quantity  of 
provisions,  and  as  many  men  as  can  be  carried 
without  undue  crowding.  If  a  gun  is  carried, 
ammunition  and  implements  for  the  service  of 
the  piece  afloat  are  supplied.  See  CUTTING  OUT. 

LANDING  WHERE  LIKELY  TO  BE  OPPOSED. 
The  boat  is  supplied  with  ammunition,  arms, 
and  accoutrements,  tools  and  articles  for  repair 
ing  damages,  and  a  small  quantity  of  provisions. 
No  masts  or  sails  are  carried.  If  a  gun  is  car 
ried,  ammunition  and  implements  for  the  service 
of  the  piece  afloat  and  ashore  are  supplied.  For 
more  minute  details,  see  ORDNANCE  INSTRUC 
TIONS,  1880. 

Boats,  Management  of. 

UNDER  OARS.  Before  leaving  the  ship  see 
that  she  is  properly  equipped  for  the  service  on 
which  she  may  be  going.  Do  not  shove  off 
during  stern-way.  Trim  the  boat.  Keep  the 
weights  amidships.  Do  not  allow  the  men  to 
stand  up  in  the  boat,  or  to  sit  on  the  gunwale. 
Sand  is  much  heavier  when  wet  than  when  dry, 
therefore  do  not  overload  the  boat  with  it. 
Water  in  breakers  is  safest  for  ballast ;  iron  or 
sand  stows  better,  but  in  the  event  of  a  capsize 
would  sink  the  boat.  A  loaded  boat  holds  her 
way  longer  than  when  light.  Make  due  allow 
ance  for  the  tide;  a  little  judgment  may  save  a 
long  pull.  Keep  clear  of  a  vessel  with  stern-way 
on.  Keep  a  boat  bows-on  to  a  heavy  sea.  A 
boat  may  ride  out  a  heavy  gale  by  lashing  the 
spars,  sails,  etc.,  together  and  riding  to  leeward 
of  them.  See  BOARDING,  KEDGING,  KOWING, 
SURF,  SALUTES,  TOWING,  and  WARPING. 

UNDER  SAIL.  When  the  ship  is  not  head  to 
wind,  pull  well  clear  of  the  ship  before  making 
sail.  Hoist  the  jib  before  the  foresail,  that  the 
mast-head  may  not  be  dragged  aft.  Do  not 
belay  the  sheets,  but  keep  them  in  hand.  Run 
ning  before  a  stiff  breeze,  reduce  sail  before  luff 
ing  up.  Running  dead  before  the  wind  in  a 
light  boat  is  dangerous ;  it  is  safer  to  run  half 
the  distance  with  the  wind  on  one  quarter,  and 
then  bring  the  wind  on  the  other  quarter.  In  a 
moderate  squall  ease  the  sheets  ;  in  a  hard  squall 
luff  up  and  lower  the  sails.  If  there  be  any 
doubt  about  weathering  a  point,  go  about  at 
once.  If  there  be  any  doubt  about  going  around, 
have  an  oar  ready  to  leeward.  If  the  men  are 
sitting  to  windward,  make  them  sit  amidships  on 


BOATSWAIN 


84 


BOBSTAY 


passing  to  leeward  of  a  ship.  In  a  stiff  breeze 
get  the  masts  down  before  going  alongside  of  a 
ship. 

BOATABLE.     Navigable  for  boats. 

BOAT-CHOCKS.  Pieces  of  wood  on  which  boats 
rest  when  stowed  on  deck. 

BOAT-CLOAK.  A  mantle  for  the  use  of  officers 
in  a  boat. 

BOAT-DAVIT.  The  name  applied  to  the  timbers 
which  project  over  the  side  or  stern  of  a  vessel, 
and  to  which  the  boats  are  hoisted. 

BOAT-DRILL.  The  objects  of  boat-drill  are  as 
follows :  first,  to  accustom  the  men  to  rowing 
and  to  the  handling  of  boats  under  sail  (see 
MANAGEMENT  OF  BOATS)  ;  second,  to  instruct  the 
men  in  the  manipulation  of  boat-guns  (see  HOW 
ITZER)  ;  third,  to  familiarize  the  men  with  their 
duties  in  providing  articles  for  the  equipment  of 
boats  (see  EQUIPMENT  OF  BOATS);  fourth,  to 
familiarize  the  officers  and  quartermasters  with 
making  and  reading  signals  (see  SIGNALS)  ;  and, 
fifth,  to  familiarize  the  officers  \vith  the  princi 
ples  of  fleet  tactics.  The  tactics  for  boats  under 
sail  are  the  same  as  for  vessels  under  canvas,  and 
when  the  boats  are  under  oars  they  conform  to 
the  rules  laid  down  for  the  regulation  of  vessels 
under  steam.  See  NAVAL  TACTICS. 

BOAT-FAST.  The  rope  by  which  a  boat  is  made 
fast. 

BOAT-GEAR.  The  rigging  and  furniture  of  a 
boat. 

BOAT-HIRE.  Expenses  for  the  use  of  shore- 
boats. 

BOAT-HOOK.  A  staff  fitted  with  an  iron  or 
brass  head,  used  in  a  boat  when  alongside  of  a 
wharf  or  a  ship. 

BOATILA.  A  narrow-sterned,  flat-bottomed 
boat  of  the  Gulf  of  Manar. 

BOATING.  Transporting  men,  munitions,  or 
goods  by  boats. 

BOAT-KEEPER.  One  of  the  boat's  crew  who 
remains  in  charge  during  the  absence  of  the 
others. 

BOAT-LINE.     See  BOAT-ROPE. 

BOAT-ROPE.  A  rope  by  which  a  boat  is  towed. 
A  rope  fitted  to  a  boat  to  assist  in  managing  it 
when  lowered  in  a  sea-way. 

BOAT'S-CREW.  The  men  detailed  for  duty  in  a 
particular  boat. 

BOAT'S-GRIPES.  Lashings  for  securing  davit- 
boats  at  sea. 

BOAT-SKIDS.  Skids  to  keep  a  boat  clear  of 
the  ship's  side  in  hoisting  or  lowering. 

Boatswain  (Fr.  maitred' equipage).  Formerly 
pronounced  and  sometimes  written  bote-son,  or 
boat's-son,  and  bo'sun,  is  in  the  Spanish  and  Por 
tuguese  navies  styled  "  Master  of  the  Canvass." 
The  title  is  said  to  be  derived  from  bat,  a  boat, 
and  swan,  a  swain,  or  servant.  His  symbol  of 
office — the  silver  call,  or  whistle — was  once  the 
proud  insignia  of  the  Lord  High  Admiral  of 
England,  and  the  decorative  appendage  of  the  Ad 
mirals  of  the  Fleet,  who  wore  it  suspended  from 
a  golden  chain,  and  with  it  "  were  wont  to  cheer 
their  men  in  battle."  The  duties  of  a  boat 
swain  are  constant  and  fatiguing;  his  station  is 
the  forecastle,  whence  he  can  direct  the  men 
aloft.  He  pipes  "all  hands"  for  general  work, 
and  his  mates  repeat  the  call  on  their  respective 
decks.  Boatswains  in  the  United  States  navy 
are  warrant-officers,  and  their  principal  duties 
are  as  follows : 


The  boatswain  is  to  be  generally  upon  deck 
during  the  day,  and  at  all  times  when  any  duty 
shall  require  all  hands  to  be  employed.  He  is 
with  his  mates  to  see  that  the  men  go  quickly 
upon  deck  when  called,  and  that  they  perform 
their  duty  with  alacrity.  He  will  every  day  at 
7.30  A.M.,  and  at  such  other  times  as  directed^ 
examine  the  rigging,  and  report  to  the  officer  of 
the  deck  the  state  in  which  he  finds  it.  He  is  to 
be  careful  that  the  anchors,  booms,  and  boats  are 
properly  secured,  and  is  to  have  ready  a  suf 
ficient  number  of  mats,  plats,  nippers,  points, 
and  gaskets,  that  no  delay  may  be  experienced, 
He  will  be  careful  that  the  masts  of  the  ship  are 
not  crippled  or  strained  in  setting  up  the  stays 
and  rigging,  and  that  they  retain  the  same  angle 
with  the  keel  after  the  stays  and  rigging  are  set 
up  that  they  had  when  they  were  only  wedged. 
He  is  to  see  when  junk  is  worked  up  that  every 
part  is  applied  to  the  purposes  ordered.  When 
preparing  for  battle,  he  is  to  see  that  everything 
necessary  for  repairing  the  rigging  is  in  place. 

BOATSWAIN-BIRD  (Phaeton  cethcreus}.  A  trop 
ical  bird,  so  called  from  the  whistling  noise  it 
makes.  It  has  two  long  feathers  in  its  tail,  called 
the  marling-spike. 

BOATSWAIN-CAPTAIN.  A  term  applied  to  a 
commanding  officer  who  pays  great  attention  to 
the  minor  details  which  are  generally  attended 
to  by  the  boatswain. 

BOATSWAIN'S  MATE.  The  chief  petty  officer 
of  the  watch.  He  passes  all  the  orders  of  the 
officer  of  the  watch,  and  uses  his  call  as  circum 
stances  require. 

BOATSWAIN'S  STORE-ROOM.  An  apartment 
for  the  boatswain's  stores. 

Boat  the  Oars.  To  place  the  oars  fore-and- 
aft  on  the  thwarts  ready  for  use. 

Bob.  The  ball  or  balance-Aveight  of  a  clock's 
pendulum ;  the  weight  attached  to  the  plumb- 
line.  ,  To  fish.  A  knot  of  worms  on  a  string, 
used  in  fishing  for  eels ;  also  colloquially,  it 
means  a  berth.  Shift  your  bob,  to  move  about, 
to  dodge.  Bear  a  bob,  make  haste,  be  brisk. 

Bobbery.  A  disturbance,  row,  or  squabble; 
a  term  much  used  in  the  East  Indies  and  China. 

Bobbing.  A  particular  method  of  fishing  for 
e-els. 

Bobbing  About.  Heaving  and  setting  with 
out  making  any  way. 

Bobble.  The  state  of  waves  when  dashing 
about  without  any  regular  set  or  direction,  as  in 
cross  tides  or  currents. 

Bobstay.  A  rope  or  chain  extending  from 
the  bowsprit  to  the  cutwater.  Its  use  is  to  coun 
teract  the  strain  of  the  head-stays.  The  bow 
sprit  is  also  fortified  by  shrouds  from  the  bows 
on  each  side,  which  are  all  very  necessary,  as  the 
foremast  and  the  upper  spars  on. the  mainmast 
are  stayed  and  greatly  supported  by  the  bowsprit. 

BOBSTAY-COLLAKS.  These  are  made  with  large 
rope,  and  an  eye  spliced  in  each  end  ;  they  are 
secured  round  the  bowsprit,  on  the  upper  side, 
with  a  rose  lashing.  They  are  almost  entirely 
superseded  by  iron  bands. 

Bo BST AY-HOLES.  Those  cut  through  the  fore 
part  of  the  knee  of  the  head,  between  the  cheeks, 
for  the  admission  of  the  bobstay ;  they  are  not 
much  used  now,  as  chain  bobstays  are  almost 
universal,  which  are  secured  to  plates  by  shackles. 

BOBSTAY-PIECE.  A  piece  of  timber  to  which 
the  bobstays  are  secured. 


BOCCA 


85 


BOLSTERS 


BOBSTAY-PLATES.  Iron  plates  by  which  the 
lower  end  of  the  bobstay  is  attached  to  the  stem. 

Bocca  (Sp.  boca,  mouth).  A  term  used  both 
in  the  Levant  and  on  the  north  coast  of  South 
America,  or  the  Spanish  Main,  for  a  rnouth  or 
channel  into  any  port  or  harbor,  or  the  entrance 
into  a  sound  which  has  a  passage  out  by  a  con 
trary  way.  Bocca  Tigris,  Canton  River. 

Body.  The  principal  corps  of  an  army,  or  the 
main  strength  of  a  fleet.  The  figure  of  a  ship, 
abstractly  considered,  is  divided  into  different 
parts  or  figures,  each  of  which  has  the  appella 
tion  body,  as  fore-body,  midship-body,  square- 
body,  etc. 

Body-hoops.     The  hoops  of  a  made  mast. 

Body-plan.  A  plan  of  a  ship  showing  the 
breadth  ;  it  is  a  transverse  section  of  the  ship  at 
the  broadest  part. 

Body-post.  The  post  at  the  forward  end  of 
the  space  in  which  the  screw  revolves. 

Boggs,  Charies  Stewart,  Rear-Admiral 
U.S.N.  Born  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  Janu 
ary  28, 1811.  Appointed  midshipman  from  same 
State,  November  1,  1826.  Attached  to  Medi 
terranean  Squadron, — sloop  of-war  "  Warren" 
and  ship-of-the-line  "  Delaware,"  — 1827-30; 
West  India  Squadron,  schooner  "Porpoise," 
from  1830-32. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  April  28, 
1832;  receiving-ship,  New  York,  1832;  West 
Indies,  sloop  "  Fal  mouth,"  1833-34  ;  rendezvous, 
New  York,  1835-36. 

Promoted  to  lieutenant,  September  6,  1837 ; 
Pacific  Squadron,  ship-of-the-line  "  North  Caro 
lina"  and  schooner  "Enterprise,"  1837-38;  re 
ceiving-ship  "  New  York,"  in  charge  of  appren 
tices,  1840-41;  coast  of  Africa,  sloop  "Sara 
toga,"  1842-43;  participated  in  the  destruction 
of  the  Bereby  village  on  that  coast ;  Home 
Squadron,  1846-47,  steamer  "Princeton";  pres 
ent  at  siege  of  Vera  Cruz  ;  commanded  boat  ex 
pedition  from  the  "  Princeton,"  which  destroyed 
the  U.  S.  brig  "  Truxtun"  after  her  surrender  to 
the  Mexicans  ;  receiving-ship,  New  York,  1848  ; 
executive-officer  of  the  frigate  "St.  Lawrence" 
to  the  World's  Fair,  London,  1848;  first  lieu 
tenant  navy-yard,  New  York,  and  inspecting  for 
Bureau  of  Provisions  and  Clothing,  1851-54. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  September  15, 
1855 ;  commanding  United  States  mail-steamer 
"  Illinois,"  1856-58  ;  light-house  inspector,  Cali 
fornia,  1860-61 ;  commanding  U.  S.  steamer 
"Varuna"  at  the  passage  of  Forts  Jackson  and 
St.  Philip,  April  24,  1862.  The  "  Varuna"  was 
the  only  vessel  of  Farragut's  squadron  lost  at  the 
passage  of  the  forts.  From  her  great  speed  she 
was  able  to  get  ahead  of  all  the  fleet,  and  engage 
the  rebel  squadron  above  the  forts.  She  was  at 
tacked  by  two  rams,  and  sunk  after  being  run 
into  the  bank  of  the  river ;  causing,  however, 
the  destruction  of  the  attacking  vessels. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  July  16,  1862  ;  com 
manded  steam-sloop  "  Sacramento"  on  the  block 
ade  of  Cape  Fear  River ;  left  his  command  on 
account  of  serious  sickness ;  special  duty  under 
Admiral  Gregory,  at  New  York,  1864-65;  super 
intended  the  construction  of  small  steam  picket- 
boats,  and  specially  designed  and  fitted  out  the 
torpedo-boat  which,  under  the  dashing  Gushing, 
destroyed  the  rebel  ironclad  "  Albemarle"  ;  1866, 
commanded  the  U.  S.  steamer  "Connecticut," 
special  cruise  in  the  West  Indies  ;  fell  in  with 


the  rebel  ironclad  "  Stonewall"  in  the  harbor  of 
Havana,  and  previous  to  her  being  given  up  to 
the  Spanish  government,  demanded  her  surren 
der  to  the  United  States. 

Promoted  to  commodore,  July  25,  1866  ;  com 
manded  steamer  "  De  Soto,"  North  Atlantic 
Squadron,  1866-68 ;  special  duty,  to  report  on 
the  condition  of  steam-engines  afloat,  1869-70 ; 
commanding  light-house  depot,  Tompkinsville, 
Staten  Island,  and  light-house  inspector,  third 
district. 

Commissioned  as  rear-admiral,  July,  1870; 
commanding  European  Fleet,  1871-72 ;  retired, 
1873. 

Bogue.  To  fall  off  from  the  wind ;  to  edge 
away  to  leeward.  The  mouth  of  a  river. 

Boiler.  A  close  vessel  in  which  steam  is  gen 
erated,  to  be  used  as  the  motive  force  in  steam- 
engines,  and  for  other  purposes.  It  is  usually 
made  of  wrought-iron  plates,  overlapping  at  the 
edges  and  fastened  with  rivets.  See  MARINE 
BOILERS. 

BOILER-ALARM.  An  apparatus  to  call  atten 
tion  to  the  low  level  of  the  water  in  the  boiler. 

BOILER-FEEDER.  An  apparatus,  usually  auto 
matic  and  self-regulating,  for  keeping  the  boiler 
supplied  with  water. 

BOILER-FLOAT.  A  float  which  rises  and  falls 
with  the  water  in  the  boiler,  and  which  shuts 
off  the  feed-water  when  the  water  has  risen  to 
the  requisite  height. 

BOILER-IRON.  Rolled  plates  of  iron  from  one- 
fourth  to  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness. 

BOILER-PROTECTOR.  A  non-conducting  ma 
terial  to  prevent  the  escape  of  heat ;  as,  felt,  lag 
ging,  etc. 

Boiling,  the  Whole.  A  contemptuous  ex 
pression  to  denote  the  whole  number  or  entire 
quantity. 

Bold  Bow.     A  broad  bluff  bow. 

Boldering  Weather.     Cloudy  and  thundery. 

Bold  Shore.  A  coast  where  the  Water  deep 
ening  rapidly  permits  the  near  approach  of  ships 
without  danger  of  grounding. 

Bold-to.  A  term  applied  to  land  when  the 
adjacent  water  deepens  rapidly.  Steep-to. 

Bole.     A  small  boat. 

Bolide.     A  name  for  an  aerolite. 

Boline.     See  BOWLINE. 

Bollard.  A  timber  around  which  a  turn  of 
the  line  is  taken  when  a  whale  is  struck,  in 
order  that  the  line  may  be  veered  steadily.  A 
vertical  timber  projecting  above  the  ground,  to 
which  hawsers  are  secured. 

Bollard -timber.  Usually  called  knight-head 
(which  see). 

Boiling,  or  Bowling  Along.  Going  through 
the  water  rapidly  with  a  free  wind. 

Bolme.  An  old  term  for  a  waterman's  pole 
or  boom. 

Boloto.  A  small  boat  of  the  Philippines  and 
Moluccas. 

Bolsters.  Small  cushions  or  bags  of  tarred 
canvas,  used  to  preserve  the  stays  from  being 
chafed  by  the  motion  of  the  masts  when  the  ship 
pitches  at  sea.  Pieces  of  soft  wood  covered  with 
canvas,  placed  on  the  tressle-trees  for  the  eyes  of 
the  rigging  to  rest  upon  and  prevent  a  sharp  nip. 
Also  pieces  of  oak  timber  fayed  to  the  curvature 
of  the  bow,  under  the  hawse-holes,  and  down 
upon  the  upper  cheek,  to  prevent  the  cable  from 
rubbing  against  the  cheeks. 


BOLT 


86 


BOOMS 


Bolt.  To  start  off;  to  run  away.  To  swallow 
food  without  chewing  it.  A  cylindrical  bar  of 
metal.  Bolts  take  their  names  from  the  uses  to 
which  they  are  applied ;  as,  bringing-to  bolt,  drive- 
bolt,  etc. ;  from  a  peculiarity  of  construction  ;  as, 
eye-bolt,  ring-bolt,  etc.  ;  from  the  mode  of  secur 
ing  them;  as,  screw-bolt,  bay-bolt,  etc.  For  a 
description  of  bolts  see  under  the  following 
heads :  BARB-,  BAY-,  BRINGING-TO-,  CLINCH-, 
COUNTERSUNK  -  HEADED-,  DOUBLE  -  ENDED-, 
DRIVE-,  DRIFT-,  EYE-,  TENDER-,  FLUSH-, 
FORELOCK-,  Fox-,  JAGGED-,  KEY-,  LEWIS-, 
POINTED-,  KAG-,  KING-,  KIVETED-,  KOSE- 
HEADED-,  HOUND-HEADED-,  SCARF-,  SCREW-, 
and  SET-BOLT. 

BOLT  OF  CANYAS.  A  roll  of  canvas  contain 
ing  39  yards.  « 

BOLT-AUGER.  An  auger  for  boring  holes  for 
bolts. 

,  BOLT-CHISEL.  A  cold  chisel  for  cutting  off  the 
projecting  ends  of  bolts. 

BOLT-CUTTER.  A  tool  for  cutting  off  bolts.  A 
tool  for  cutting  the  thread  on  bolts. 

Bolt-rope.  A  superior  quality  of  hemp  cord 
age  used  for  roping  sails. 

BOLT-ROPE  NEEDLE.  A  strong  needle  for 
stitching  a  sail  to  the  bolt-rope. 

Bolt-sprit.     See  BOWSPRIT. 

BOLT-STRAKE.  Strakes  of  plank  through 
which  pass  the  beam  fastenings. 

Bomb.  A  hollow  ball  or  shell  of  cast  iron 
charged  with  powder,  and  furnished  with  a  fuse 
so  adjusted  that  when  the  bomb  reaches  the  end 
of  its  range  the  fuse  ignites  the  powder  in  the 
shell  and  blows  it  to  pieces.  Bombs  appear  to 
have  first  come  into  use  in  the  wars  of  the  Neth 
erlands,  in  the  17th  century.  See  SHELL. 

BOMB-BED.  The  platform  which  supports  a 
mortar. 

BOMB-KETCH.     See  MORTAR  VESSEL. 

BOMB-SHELL.     See  BOMB. 

BOMB  VESSEL.     See  MORTAR  VESSEL. 

Bombalo.  A  delicate  kind  of  sand-eel  taken 
in  quantities  at  Bombay. 

Bombard.  An  ancient  piece  of  ordnance  for 
throwing  heavy  projectiles.  Its  bore  sometimes 
exceeded  twenty  inches  in  diameter.  There  were 
also  smaller  varieties  of  the  bombard.  See  ORD 
NANCE. 

A  vessel  in  which  beer  was  formerly  carried  to 
soldiers  on  duty;  whence  bum-boat  (which  see). 

Bombay.  A  city  and  seaport  on  the  island  of 
Bombay,  now  artificially  converted  into  a  penin 
sula,  all  of  which  is  included  in  the  municipal 
limits.  Lat.  18°  56'  N. ;  Ion.  72°  53'  E.  Since 
the  development  of  cotton  culture  in  India,  Bom 
bay  has  largely  increased  in  wealth  and  impor 
tance.  It  is  connected  by  railroads  with  most  of 
the  large  cities  of  India,  and  by  steamer  lines, 
via  Suez,,  with  Great  Britain.  On  the  S.  W.  the 
fort  is  connected  by  Colabba  causeway  with  the 
island  of  Colabba,  on  which  are  the  light-house, 
observatory,  and  a  stone  pier.  The  harbor  of 
Bombay  is  unequaled  for  safety  in  all  India.  It 
affords  good  anchorage  for  ships  of  the  largest 
burden,  and  it  has  excellent  building-  and  other 
docks  for  ships  of  the  first  class.  Pop.  700,000. 

Bombo.     Weak,  cold  punch. 

Bonaventure.  The  old  outer  mizzen,  long 
disused. 

Bone.  To  study.  To  bone  up  a  subject,  to 
study  it  thoroughly. 


Bon-grace.  Junk-fenders,  to  hang  over  the 
bows  and  sides  of  a  vessel.  See  BOW-GRACE. 

Bonito.  The  Thynnus  pelamys,  a  fish  of  the 
scomber  family,  commonly  about  2  feet  long, 
with  a  sharp  head,  small  mouth,  full  eyes,  and  a 
regular  semilunar  tail. 

Boni-vochil.  The  Hebridean  name  for  the 
great  northern  diver  (Colymbus  glacialis}. 

Bonnet.     An  additional  part  laced  to  the  foot 
of  the  jibs,  or  other  fore-and-aft  sails,  in  small 
vessels   in  moderate   weather,   to  gather   mor 
wind. 

Bonnet-flook.  The  well-known  flat-fish,  brill, 
pearl,  or  mouse-dab  ;  the  Pleuronectes  rhombus. 

Bony-fish.  A  name  for  the  hard-head  (which 
see). 

Bony  Pike  !  Lepidosteus}.  A  genus  of  ganoid 
fishes,  conspicuous  by  being  examples  of  a  nearly 
extinct  type. 

Booby.  A  well-known  tropical  sea-bird,  Sula 
fusca,  of  the  family  Pelecanidce.  It  is  fond  of 
resting  out  of  the  water  at  night,  even  preferring 
an  unstable  perch  on  the  yard  of  a  ship.  The 
name  is  derived  from  the  way  in  which  it  allows 
itself  to  be  caught  immediately  after  settling. 
The  direction  in  which  it  flies  as  evening  comes 
on  often  shows  where  land  may  be  found. 

Booby-hatch.  A  smaller  kind  of  companion, 
but  readily  removable.  A  kind  of  wooden  hood 
over  a  hatch,  fitted  with  a  sliding  top  and  readily 
removable. 

Book.  A  commercial  term  for  a  peculiar  pack 
ing  of  muslins,  bastas,  and  other  stuffs.  Brought 
to  book,  made  to  account. 

Books.  Oflicial  documents.  See  SHIP'S  BOOKS. 

Boom.  A  long  spar  used  to  extend  or  boom 
out  the  foot  of  a  particular  sail.  It  takes  its 
name  from  the  sail  it  extends.  (See  JIB-,  FLY 
ING-JIB-,  STUDDING-SAIL-,  SPANKER-,  RING 
TAIL-,  and  MAIN-BOOM.)  The  name  is  also 
applied  to  a  chain  stretched  across  a  river  or 
mouth  of  a  harbor  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  an 
enemy's  vessel.  See  FIRE-SHIPS. 

Booms  may  be  employed  in  the  defense  of  har 
bors  either  by  themselves,  or  in  combination  with 
submarine  mines.  The  essential  qualities  of  a 
boom  are  that  it  shall  possess  great  strength 
and  be  easy  to  manipulate.  The  main  cable 
should  be  of  wire  or  chain,  and  is  buoyed  up 
by  spars,  logs,  etc.  A  space  is  left  between  each 
float  to  give  the  whole  structure  flexibility.  The 
boom  should  be  moored  with  heavy  anchors  up 
stream,  and  with  heavy  chains  without  anchors 
down-stream  ;  the  former  to  counteract  the  force 
of  the  current,  and  the  latter  to  oppose  a  yielding 
obstacle  to  the  shock  of  ramming.  The  boom 
should  be  moored  obliquely  to  the  current,  which 
compels  an  enemy's  vessel  to  place  herself  athwart 
the  current  in  order  to  ram  the  boom  at  right 
angles.  The  boom  should  be  protected  from  the 
enemy's  boats  by  small  mechanical  mines,  and 
should  be  covered  by  batteries  on  each  side  of 
the  bay  or  river.  To  boom  off,  to  shove  off  a  ves 
sel  or  boat  with  spars.  To  top  up  a  boom  is  to 
elevate  one  end  of  it  by  hauling  on  the  topping 
lifts.  A  person  is  said  to  top  up  his  boom  when 
he  fortifies  himself  with  ardent  spirits. 

Booms.  The  space  between  the  fore-  and  main 
masts,  in  which  the  boom-boats  and  spare  spars 
are  stowed. 

BOOM-BOATS.  Boats  carried  inboard  and 
stowed  in  the  booms. 


BOOPAH 


87 


BOSCAWEN 


BOOM-BRACE.  A  rope  extending  from  the 
outer  extremity  of  the  topmast  studding-sail- 
boom  through  a  tail-block  in  the  rnain-rig- 
ging. 

BOOM-COVER.  The  large  tarpaulin,  or  painted 
canvas  cover,  extending  over  the  booms  and 
boom-boats. 

BOOM-IRONS.  Metal  hoops  or  rings  on  the 
lower  and  topsail  yards  through  which  the 
booms  traverse.  See  PACIFIC-IRONS. 

BOOM-JIGGER.  A  tackle  used  for  rigging  in 
and  out  the  topmast  studding-sail-booms. 

BOOMKIN.     See  BUMKIN. 

BOOM-MAINSAIL.  A  fore-and-aft  mainsail  the 
foot  of  which  is  spread  by  a  boom. 

BOOM-TRICING-LINE.  The  line  which  trices 
up  the  heel  of  a  stun 'sail-boom. 

Boopah.  A  Tongatabou  canoe  with  a  single 
outrigger. 

Bootes  (G-r.  bootes,  a  plowman).  The  con 
stellation  following  the  Great  Bear,  which,  it  is 
probable,  originally  figured  as  an  ox  or  wagon. 
Bootes  is  also  called  Arctophylax,  the  Bear- 
watcher  ;  and  the  bright  star  a  Bootis  is  named 
Arcturus,  which  means  the  Bear-keeper. 

Boothyr.  An  old  word  for  a  small  river 
vessel. 

Boot-lick.  One  who  cringes  and  flatters  to 
obtain  favors. 

Boot-topping.  The  old  operation  of  scraping 
off  the  grass,  slime,  shells,  etc.,  which  adhere  to 
the  bottom,  near  the  surface  of  the  water,  and 
daubing  it  over  with  a  mixture  of  tallow,  sul 
phur,  and  resin,  as  a  temporary  protection 
against  worms.  This  is  chiefly  performed  where 
there  is  no  dock  or  convenient  situation  for  bream 
ing  or  careening,  or  when  the  hurry  of  a  voyage 
renders  it  inconvenient  to  have  the  whole  bottom 
properly  cleansed.  The  term  is  now  applied  to 
sheathing  a  vessel  with  planking  over  felt. 

Booty.  That  sort  of  prize  which  may  be 
distributed  at  the  capstan-head,  or  at  once. 

Booze.  A  carouse  ;  hence,  boozy,  elevated  by 
liquor.  • 

Bora.  A  very  violent  wind  experienced  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  Adriatic  Sea,  but  which 
fortunately  is  of  no  great  duration. 

Borasca.  A  storm,  with  thunder  and  light 
ning. 

Bord.  The  sea-coast,  an  old  term.  Formerly 
meant  the  side,  edge,  or  brim ;  hence,  as  applied 
to  a  ship,  to  throw  overboard  is  to  cast  anything 
over  the  side  of  the  vessel. 

Borda,Jean  Charles,  a  scientific  French  navi 
gator,  born  at  Dax,  May  4,  1733  ;  died  in  Paris, 
February  20,  1799.  He  was  a  teacher  of  mathe 
matics  ;  became  a  captain  in  the  French  navy, 
and  by  his  scientific  knowledge  was  of  great  ser 
vice  to  the  Count  d'Estaing  during  the  American 
war,  in  which  he  commanded  the  "  Solitaire" 
with  distinction.  Made  a  member  of  the  Acad 
emy  of  Sciences  in  1756.  In  1771  he  made  a 
voyage  to  America  for  scientific  purposes,  and 
again  in  1774,  and  at  a  later  period,  of  which  he 
published  an  account  in  1778.  He  founded  the 
School  of  Naval  Architecture  in  France,  in 
vented  nautical  instruments,  was  one  of  the  sci 
entific  men  who  framed  the  French  metric  sys 
tem,  and  published  some  treatises  on  hydraulics. 
Member  of  the  French  Institute. 

Bordeaux.  A  city  in  the  S.  W.  of  France,  on 
the  Garonne,  60  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  chiefly 


on  its  left  bank.  Lat.  44°  W  19"  N. ;  Ion.  0° 
84X  32/7  W.  Situated  on  a  navigable  river,  in 
this  part  2600  feet  wide  and  from  60  to  90  feet 
deep,  Bordeaux  takes,  rank  next  after  Marseilles 
and  Havre  among  the  ports  of  France  both  in 
foreign  and  coastwise  trade.  Its  harbor  or  basin, 
formed  by  the  Garonne,  is  capable  of  containing 
1200  ships  of  the  largest  size,  and  is  accessible  for 
vessels  of  600  tons  at  all  times  of  the  tide.  It  has 
docks  and  building-yards  for  every  size  of  ves 
sels.  Its  principal  exports  are  wines,  brandy, 
and  fruits.  Pop.  225,000. 

Bordels.  An  old  word  for  houses  built  along 
a  strand. 

Bord  You.  A  saying  of  a  man  waiting,  to 
one  who  is  drinking,  meaning  that  he  claims  the 
next  turn. 

Bore.  The  cavity,  generally  cylindrical  in 
shape,  of  a  piece  of  ordnance  ;  also,  the  diameter 
of  this  cavity.  A  sudden  and  rapid  flow  of  tide 
in  certain  inlets  of  the  sea  ;  as,  the  monstrous 
wave  in  the  river  Hoogly,  called  bahn  by  the 
natives,  which  rolls  in  with  the  noise  of  distant 
thunder  at  flood-tide.  It  occurs  from  February 
to  November,  at  the  new  and  full  moon.  Its 
cause  has  not  been  clearly  defined,  although  it 
probably  arises  from  the  currents  during  spring 
tides,  acting  on  a  peculiar  conformation  of  the 
banks  and  bed  of  the  river  ;  it  strikes  invariably 
on  the  same  part  of  the  banks,  majestically  roll 
ing  over  to  one  side,  and  passing  on  diagonally 
to  the  other  with  impetuous  violence.  The  bore 
also  occurs  in  England,  near  Bristol ;  and  in 
America,  in  several  rivers,  but  especially  in  the 
Bay  of  Fundy,  where,  at  the  river  Petticodiac, 
the  tide  rises  76  feet.  It  also  occurs  in  Borneo 
and  several  rivers  in  the  East. 

Attention  to  the  bore  in  different  places  is  of 
great  importance  to  the  seaman.  No  boat  ven 
tures  to  navigate  the  channels  between  the  islands 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Brahmapootra  at  spring 
tide ;  in  the  Hoogly,  the  bore  running  along 
one  bank  only,  on  its  approach  the  smaller  ship 
ping  is  removed  to  the  other  side,  or  ride  it  out 
in  mid-stream  ;  and  in  some  of  the  rivers  of 
Brazil  the  barges,  at  the  spring-tides,  are  always 
moored  in  deep  water,  it  being  noticed  that  the 
bore  is  only  dangerous  on  the  shoals. 

Boreas.  Son  of  ^Estrseus  and  Heribeia,  gen 
erally  put  for  the  north  wind. 

Bore  Down.  Sailed  down  from  to  wind 
ward. 

Boring.  In  Arctic  seas,  the  operation  of 
forcing  a  ship  through  the  loose  ice. 

Boring-bit.  A  tool  for  clearing  the  vent  of  a 
gun. 

Borrachio  (Sp.  borracho,  drunk).  A  skin, 
usually  a  goat's,  for  holding  wine  or  .water. 
Used  "in  the  Levant.  A  skin-full ;  literally, 
gorged  with  wine. 

Borrow.  To  approach  closely  either  to  land 
or  wind ;  to  hug  a  shore  or  coast  to  avoid  an  ad 
verse  tide. 

Bort.  The  name  given  to  a  fishing-line  in  the 
Shetland  Isles. 

Boscawen,  Edward,  Admiral.  Born  August 
19,  1711.  Measuring  men  by  their  success, 
this  very  distinguished  sailor  occupies  a  high 
place  in  British  annals.  For  twenty  years  he 
was  in  continual  active  service.  The  West  In 
dies,  the  South  American  coast,  the  Mediterra 
nean,  India,  and  the  coast  of  North  America  were 


BOSS 


88 


BOUNCE 


the  scenes  of  his  professional  employment.  Fre 
quently  engaged  in  contests  with  the  French,  he, 
singularly  enough,  three  times  took  prisoner  the 
same  admiral,  and  carried  more  prizes  into  Eng- 
lish'ports  than  any  other  seaman  before  or  since. 
Vice-admiral  of  the  blue,  1756.  Died  January 
10,  1761. 

Boss.  An  elevated  or  thickened  portion, 
usually  around  an  aperture ;  as,  a  socket  for  a 

Sivot-bolt.  A  master-workman  or  superinten- 
ent. 

Boston  (Mass.)  is  on  a  bay  called  Boston 
Harbor,  which  forms  the  inner  bight  of  Massa 
chusetts  Bay,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Charles  and 
Mystic  Kivers.  Lat.  42°  '2V  27.6"  N. ;  Ion.  71° 
3'  30"  W.  The  harbor  is  excellent,  and  the 
wharves,  warehouses,  and  other  shipping  facili 
ties  are  not  surpassed.  Steamers  ply  hence  to 
Europe  and  to  the  principal  ports  of  the  United 
States.  Boston  has  a  large  trade  with  the  West 
Indies,  and  with  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Bruns 
wick,  and  the  coastwise  traffic  is  extensive.  Her 
commerce  with  India,  China,  and  Liverpool  is 
very  large,  although  less  than  it  was  twenty  years 
ago.  Much  capital  has  been  expended  in  the 
extension  of  harbor  facilities.  The  inner  harbor 
is  completely  sheltered,  not  difficult  of  access, 
and  is  seldom  encumbered  by  ice.  Several  large 
works  have  been  constructed  for  its  defense, 
Forts  Warren,  Independence,  and  Winthrop 
being  the  most  important.  The  channel  is  well 
lighted,  the  structure  on  Minot's  Ledge  being 
the  outermost  and  highest  of  its  four  light-houses. 
The  harbor  covers  75  square  miles,  and  has  a 
minimum  depth  of  23  feet  above  mean  low  tide. 
Charlestown,  formerly  a  suburb  of  Boston,  now 
incorporated  with  it,  is  the  seat  of  a  large  United 
States  navy-yard.  Pop.  about  352,000. 

Botany  Bay.  Discovered  by  Cook  in  1770, 
and  received  its  name  from  the  great  variety  of 
herbs  found  on  its  shores.  The  settlement  was 
selected  as  a  site  for  a  colony  of  English  convicts, 
and  the  first  governor  arrived  in  January,  1788. 
The  colony  was  eventually  located  at  Port  Jack 
son,  13  miles  north  of  the  bay. 

Botarga.  The  roe  of  the  mullet  pressed  flat 
and  dried ;  that  of  commerce,  however,  is  from 
the  tunny,  a  large  fish  of  passage  which  is  com 
mon  in  the  Mediterranean. 

Botch.     To  make  bungling  work. 

Bote's-carle.     An  old  word  for  coxswain. 

Both  Sheets  Aft.  A  ship  before  the  wind 
has  both  fore-sheets  hauled  aft.  The  expression 
is  also  applied  to  a  half-drunken  sailor  rolling 
along  with  both  hands  in  his  pockets  and  elbows 
square. 

Botte.     An  old  word  for  boat. 

Bottle-charts.  Charts  on  which  the  set  of 
surface  currents  is  marked,  when  the  set  has  been 
calculated  from  the  data  found  in  bottles  thrown 
overboard  and  washed  upon  the  beach,  or  picked 
up  by  ships. 

Bottle-nose,  or  Bottle-nosed  Whale.  A  name 
applied  to  several  of  the  smaller  cetaceans  of  the 
northern  seas,  more  especially  to  the  Hyperoodon 
rostratus. 

Bottom.  The  lowest  part  of  anything.  The 
rich  low  land  formed  by  alluvial  deposits.  The 
part  of  a  ship  under  water  ;  hence,  the  ship  itself; 
as  "foreign  bottoms."  A.  full  bottom  denotes 
that  such  a  form  has  been  given  to  a  ship  as  to 
allow  her  to  carry  a  large  amount  of  merchan 


dise.  The  bed  of  a  body  of  water ;  it  is  charac 
terized  as  muddy,  rocky,  sandy,  etc. 

BOTTOM-CLEAN.  Thoroughly  clean,  free  from 
weeds,  etc. 

Bottomry.  A  contract  in1  the  nature  of  a 
mortgage  of  a  ship  when  the  owner,  or  his  agent, 
borrows  money  to  enable  him  to  carry  on  his 
voyage,  and  pledges  the  keel  or  bottom  of  the 
ship  ( partem  pro  toto)  as  a  security  for  the  re 
payment.  If  the  ship  be  lost  the  lender  loses 
also  his  whole  money ;  but  if  it  return  in  safety 
then  he  shall  receive  back  his  principal,  and  also 
the  premium  stipulated  to  be  paid,  however  it 
may  exceed  the  usual  or  legal  rate  of  interest. 
And  this  is  allowed  to  be  a  valid  contract  in  all 
trading  nations,  for  the  benefit  of  commerce,  and 
by  reason  of  the  extraordinary  hazard  run  by 
the  lender.  And  in  this  case  the  ship  and  tackle, 
if  brought  home,  are  answerable  (as  well  as  the 
borrower  personally)  for  the  money  lent.  But 
if  the  loan  be  not  upon  the  vessel,  but  upon  the 
goods  and  merchandise,  which  must  necessarily 
be  sold  or  exchanged  in  the  course  of  the  voyage, 
then  only  the  borrower,  personally,  is  bound  to 
answer  the  contract,  and  in  this  case  he  is  said 
to  take  the  money  at  respondentia  (which  see). 

BOTTOMRY  PREMIUM.  The  high  rate  of  in 
terest  charged  on  the  safety  of  the  ship, — the 
lender  losing  his  whole  money  if  she  be  lost. 

Bottom-wind.  A  phenomenon  that  occurs  on 
the  lakes  in  the  north  of  England,  especially 
Derwent  Water,  which  is  often  agitated  by  swell 
ing  waves  without  any  apparent  cause. 

Bouche.     See  BUSH. 

Bougainville,  Louis  Antoine  de.  Born  in 
Paris,  November  11,  1729.  The  first  voyage 
round  the  world  by  a  Frenchman  was  made  by 
this  illustrious  seaman.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic, 
braved  the  stormy  seas  around  Cape  Horn,  and 
passed  into  the  Pacific.  He  visited  many  places 
on  the  western  shores  of  America  and  among 
the  islands  in  the  Pacific,  but  the  charts  which 
he  prepared  and  bequeathed  to  his  country  and 
posterity  are  not  reliable,  owing  to  the  great  dif 
ficulty  in  Bougainville's  day  of  making  astro 
nomical  observations,  and  the  imperfect  character 
of  the  plans  laid  down  by  men  of  science  for  as 
certaining  the  longitude.  Died  August  31,  1811. 

Bouge.     See  BOWGE. 

Bouge  and  Chine,  or  Bowge  and  Chime.  A 
method  of  stowing  casks  with  the  bilge  of  one 
against  the  end  of  another. 

Bouguer,  Pierre.  Born  at  Le  Croisic,  in  Bre- 
tagne,  February  16,  1698.  A  profound  French 
mathematician,  who  was  one  of  a  body  of  savants 
deputed  in  1735  to  proceed  to  South  America  to 
measure  a  degree  of  the  meridian  at  the  equator. 
Died  August  15,  1758. 

Bouilli.  Preserved  beef  in  hermetically-sealed 
cans;  termed  by  sailors  "bully-beef,"  or  "soup 
and  bully." 

Boulder.     See  BOWLDER. 

Boulogne.  A  town  of  France,  on  the  Eng 
lish  Channel,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Lianne.  Lat. 
50°  W  32"  N.  ;  Ion.  1°  36'  15"  E.  The  port 
is  formed  by  piers  stretching  out  only  to  low- 
water  mark,  but  the  tide  rises  upwards  of  16 
feet,  and  vessels  find  good  anchorage  about  half 
a  mile  from  the  harbor.  There  is  also  a  wet- 
dock  with  other  harbor  improvements.  Pop. 
40,000. 

Bounce.     The  larger  dog-fish. 


BOUNCER 


89 


BOWLINE-KNOT 


Bouncer.  A  gun  which  kicks  violently  when 
fired. 

Bound.  The  path  of  a  projectile  between  two 
grazes.  Destined ;  going,  or  intending  to  go. 
Where  are  you  bound  ?  to  what  place  are  you 
going.  Ice-bound,  entirely  surrounded  by  ice. 
Tide-bound,  beneaped,  or  prevented  from  sailing 
by  an  adverse  tide.  Wind-bound,  prevented 
from  sailing  by  an  unfavorable  wind. 

Boundary-line.  The  trace  of  the  outer  sur 
face  of  the  skin  of  a  ship  on  the  stern-post, 
stem,  and  keel. 

Bounty  for  Destruction  of  Enemies'  Vessels. 
An  amount  awarded  to  a  ship  or  vessel  of  the 
United  States  which  sinks  or  destroys  a  vessel 
of  war  belonging  to  an  enemy.  If  the  vessel  de 
stroyed  was  of  equal  or  superior  force  to  the 
United  States  vessel,  the  latter  is  awarded  $200 
for  each  person  on  board  the  former  at  the  begin 
ning  of  the  engagement ;  if  of  inferior  force, 
$100  for  each  person.  If  the  captors  of  an 
enemy's  vessel  are  instructed  to,  or  do  immedi 
ately,  destroy  the  vessel  for  the  public  interest, 
$50  is  awarded  for  each  person  on  board  the  ves 
sel  at  the  time  it  was  captured.  The  gross 
amount  awarded  as  above  is  divided  among  the 
officers  and  crew  in  the  same  manner  as  prize- 
money.  (See  PRIZE-MONEY.)  When  the  actual 
number  of  persons  on  board  the  destroyed  vessel 
cannot  be  ascertained,  it  is  estimated  according 
to  the  complement  of  a  vessel  of  its  class  in  the 
United  States  navy.  This  bounty  is  authorized 
by  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  but  cannot  be 
paid  unless  an  appropriation  is  made  by  Con 
gress  for  that  purpose. 

Bourdonnais,  Bertrand  F.  de.  A  naval  officer 
in  the  service  of  the  French  East  India  Com 
pany.  He  held  the  post  of  Director-General  of 
Mauritius  (then  called  the  Isle  of  France)  and 
Bourbon  ;  and  in  1746,  when  France  and  Eng 
land  were  at  war,  he  beat  a  squadron  under  Ad 
miral  Bassett,  and  bombarded  the  city  of  Madras. 

Bourse  (Fr.).  An  exchange;  a  place  where 
merchants  congregate  to  transact  business. 

Bouse.     See  BOWSE. 

Bout.  A  turn,  round,  or  trial.  A  convivial 
meeting. 

'Bout-ship.  A  contraction  of  about-ship.  An 
order  to  prepare  for  going  about. 

Bow.  The  forward  part  of  a  vessel.  A  full 
or  bluff  bow  is  broad  and  round ;  a  sharp  or  lean 
bow  is  narrow  and  thin.  The  bow  flares  more 
or  less  as  it  falls  out  or  increases  in  breadth  at 
the  upper  part.  Doubling  of  the  bows,  a  thick 
planking  secured  on  the  bow  to  prevent  the  point 
of  the  anchor  from  injuring  it.  Bows  on,  stem 
first.  On  the  bow,  at  an  angle  less  than  45°  from 
the  ship's  course.  Broad  off  the  bow,  at  an  angle 
of  45°  from  the  ship's  course. 

Bow.  An  old  instrument  for  taking  angles, 
consisting  of  a  graduated  arc  of  90°,  three  vanes, 
and  a  staff. 

Bow-bye.  An  old  expression  for  the  situation 
of  a  ship  when  she  is  in  irons. 

Bow-chaser.  A  gun  placed  in  the  bow  to  fire 
on  a  retreating  vessel. 

Bowd-eaten.  An  old  term  for  eaten  by  wee 
vils. 

Bowditch,  Nathaniel,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.,  mathe 
matician  and  astronomer,  born  in  Salem,  Mass., 
March  26,  1773  ;  died  at  Boston,  March  16, 1838. 
The  poverty  of  his  parents  occasioned  his  with 


drawal  from  school  at  the  age  of  10,  and  after  an 
apprenticeship  in  a  ship-chandler's  shop  until  he 
was  21 ,  he  spent  nine  years  in  a  seafaring  life,  at 
taining  the  rank  of  master.  He  published  in  1800, 
while  engaged  as  a  supercargo,  his  well  known 
a  PracticarNavigator,"  still  a  standard  work  of 
great  utility  and  value.  His  fame  as  a  man  of 
science  will  principally  rest  on  his  Commentary 
on  the  "Mecanique  Celeste"  of  La  Place,  of  which 
he  made  the  first  entire  translation,  and  which 
he  elucidated  in  a  manner  that  commands  the 
admiration  of  scientific  men.  The  elucidations 
and  commentaries  of  Bowditch  form  more  than 
half  the  work.  They  record  subsequent  discov 
eries,  and  show  the  sources  whence  La  Place 
derived  assistance.  He  contributed  many  valu 
able  papers  to  "  The  Memoirs  of  the  American 
Academy,"  and  an  article  on  modern  astronomy 
to  vol.  xx.  "  North  American  Review."  At  his 
death  he  was  a  member  of  the  principal  scientific 
societies  of  Europe.  He  twice  had  a  seat  in  the 
.executive  council  of  Massachusetts. 

Bowditch's  Practical  Navigator.  The  stand 
ard  work  on  navigation,  published  by  the  gov 
ernment  and  supplied  to  all  government  vessels. 
It  contains,  with  the  "Nautical  Almanac,"  all 
the  data  necessary  for  the  solution  of  problems  in 
navigation. 

Bowed.  The  state  of  a  yard  when  it  arches 
in  the  centre  from  hoisting  it  too  taut.  Also  of 
a  mast  when  it  bellies  or  is  crippled  by  inju 
diciously  setting  up  the  rigging  too  taut. 

Bower.     See  ANCHOR  and  CHAIN. 

Bow-fast.  A  rope  or  chain  for  securing  a 
vessel  by  the  bow.  See  FAST. 

Bowge,  or  Bouge.     An  old  term  for  bilge. 

Bow-grace.  A  kind  of  frame  or  fender  of  old 
junk,  placed  round  the  bows  and  sides  of  a  ship 
to  prevent  her  receiving  injury  from  floating  ice 
'or  timbers.  See  BON-GRACE. 

Bowing  the  Sea.  Meeting  a  turbulent  swell 
in  coming  to  the  wind. 

Bowlder.  A  large  stone  worn  and  rounded  by 
the  attrition  of  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

Bowlder-head.  A  work  against  the  encroach 
ment  of  the  sea  made  of  wooden  stakes. 

Bowline.  A  rope  leading  forward  connected 
by  bridles  to  cringles  on  the  leech  of  the  square- 
sails  ;  it  is  used  to  keep  the  wealher-edge  of  the 
sail  steady  when  the  ship  is  close-hauled,  and 
enables  the  ship  to  come  nearer  to  the  wind. 

On  a  bowline  and  on  a  taut  bowline  are  expres 
sions  to  signify  that  a  ship  is  sailing  as  close  as 
possible  to  the  wind.  To  check,  slack,  or  come  up 
a  bowline  is  to  let  it  go  when  the  wind  becomes 
free.  To  clear  away  a  bowline  is  to  let  it  go 
when  preparing  to  swing  the  yard.  To  sharp, 
haul  taut,  or  steady  out  a  bowline  is  to  pull  it  as 
taut  as  it  can  well  bear. 

BOWLINE-BRIDLE.  The  span  attached  to  the 
cringles  on  the  leech  of  a  square-sail  to  which 
the  bowline  is  toggled  or  clinched. 

BOWLINE- CRINGLE.  An  eye  worked  into  the 
leech-rope  of  a  sail,  to  which  a  bowline  or  the 
bowline-bridle  is  attached. 

Bowline-bend.  The  mode  of  bending  warps 
or  hawsers  together  by  making  a  bowline  in  the 
end  of  one  rope,  and  passing  the  end  of  the  other 
through  the  bight,  and  making  a  bowline  upon  it. 

Bowline-knot.  A  knot  much  in  use  on  board 
ship.  The  loop  can  be  made  of  any  size,  and 
does  not  jamb  nor  render. 


BOSS 


BOUNCE 


the  scenes  of  his  professional  employment.  Fre 
quently  engaged  in  contests  with  the  French,  he, 
singularly'enough,  three  times  took  prisoner  the 
same  admiral,  and  carried  more  prizes  into  Eng 
lish 'ports  than  any  other  seaman  before  or  since. 
Vice-admiral  of  the  blue,  1756.  Died  January 
10,  1761. 

Boss.  An  elevated  or  thickened  portion, 
usually  around  an  aperture ;  as,  a  socket  for  a 
pivot-bolt.  A  master-workman  or  superinten 
dent. 

Boston  (Mass.)  is  on  a  bay  called  Boston 
Harbor,  which  forms  the  inner  bight  of  Massa 
chusetts  Bay,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Charles  and 
Mystic  Kivers.  Lat.  42°  21'  27.6"  N. ;  Ion.  71° 
3'  30"  W.  The  harbor  is  excellent,  and  the 
wharves,  warehouses,  and  other  shipping  facili 
ties  are  not  surpassed.  Steamers  ply  hence  to 
Europe  and  to  the  principal  ports  of  the  United 
States.  Boston  has  a  large  trade  with  the  West 
Indies,  and  with  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Bruns 
wick,  and  the  coastwise  traffic  is  extensive.  Her 
commerce  with  India,  China,  and  Liverpool  is 
very  large,  although  less  than  it  was  twenty  years 
ago.  Much  capital  has  been  expended  in  the 
extension  of  harbor  facilities.  The  inner  harbor 
is  completely  sheltered,  not  difficult  of  access, 
and  is  seldom  encumbered  by  ice.  Several  large 
works  have  been  constructed  for  its  defense, 
Forts  Warren,  Independence,  and  Winthrop 
being  the  most  important.  The  channel  is  well 
lighted,  the  structure  on  Minot's  Ledge  being 
the  outermost  and  highest  of  its  four  light-houses. 
The  harbor  covers  75  square  miles,  and  has  a 
minimum  depth  of  23  feet  above  mean  low  tide. 
Charlestown,  formerly  a  suburb  of  Boston,  now 
incorporated  with  it,  is  the  seat  of  a  large  United 
States  navy-yard.  Pop.  about  352,00(X 

Botany  Bay.  Discovered  by  Cook  in  1770, 
and  received  its  name  from  the  great  variety  of 
herbs  found  on  its  shores.  The  settlement  was 
selected  as  a  site  for  a  colony  of  English  convicts, 
and  the  first  governor  arrived  in  January,  1788. 
The  colony  was  eventually  located  at  Port  Jack 
son,  13  miles  north  of  the  bay. 

Botarga.  The  roe  of  the  mullet  pressed  flat 
and  dried ;  that  of  commerce,  however,  is  from 
the  tunny,  a  large  fish  of  passage  which  is  com 
mon  in  the  Mediterranean. 

Botch.     To  make  bungling  work. 

Bote's-carle.     An  old  word  for  coxswain. 

Both  Sheets  Aft.  A  ship  before  the  wind 
has  both  fore-sheets  hauled  aft.  The  expression 
is  also  applied  to  a  half-drunken  sailor  rolling 
along  with  both  hands  in  his  pockets  and  elbows 
square. 

Botte.     An  old  word  for  boat. 

Bottle-charts.  Charts  on  which  the  set  of 
surface  currents  is  marked,  when  the  set  has  been 
calculated  from  the  data  found  in  bottles  thrown 
overboard  and  washed  up  on  the  beach,  or  picked 
up  by  ships. 

Bottle-nose,  or  Bottle-nosed  Whale.  A  name 
applied  to  several  of  the  smaller  cetaceans  of  the 
northern  seas,  more  especially  to  the  Hyperoodon 
rostratus. 

Bottom.  The  lowest  part  of  anything.  The 
rich  low  land  formed  by  alluvial  deposits.  The 
part  of  a  ship  under  water  ;  hence,  the  ship  itself; 
as  "foreign  bottoms."  A.  full  bottom  denotes 
that  such  a  form  has  been  given  to  a  ship  as  to 
allow  her  to  carry  a  large  amount  of  merchan 


dise.  The  bed  of  a  body  of  water ;  it  is  charac 
terized  as  muddy,  rocky,  sandy,  etc. 

BOTTOM-CLEAN.  Thoroughly  clean,  free  from 
weeds,  etc. 

Bottomry.  A  contract  in1  the  nature  of  a 
mortgage  of  a  ship  when  the  owner,  or  his  agent, 
borrows  money  to  enable  him  to  carry  on  his 
voyage,  and  pledges  the  keel  or  bottom  of  the 
ship  (partem pro  toto]  as  a  security  for  the  re 
payment.  If  the  ship  be  lost  the  lender  loses 
also  his  whole  money ;  but  if  it  return  in  safety 
then  he  shall  receive  back  his  principal,  and  also 
the  premium  stipulated  to  be  paid,  however  it 
may  exceed  the  usual  or  legal  rate  of  interest. 
And  this  is  allowed  to  be  a  valid  contract  in  all 
trading  nations,  for  the  benefit  of  commerce,  and 
by  reason  of  the  extraordinary  hazard  run  by 
the  lender.  And  in  this  case  the  ship  and  tackle, 
if  brought  home,  are  answerable  (as  well  as  the 
borrower  personally)  for  the  money  lent.  But 
if  the  loan  be  not  upon  the  vessel,  but  upon  the 
goods  and  merchandise,  which  must  necessarily 
be  sold  or  exchanged  in  the  course  of  the  voyage, 
then  only  the  borrower,  personally,  is  bound  to 
answer  the  contract,  and  in  this  case  he  is  said 
to  take  the  money  at  respondentia  (which  see). 

BOTTOMRY  PREMIUM.  The  high  rate  of  in 
terest  charged  on  the  safety  of  the  ship, — the 
lender  losing  his  whole  money  if  she  be  lost. 

Bottom-wind.  A  phenomenon  that  occurs  on 
the  lakes  in  the  north  of  England,  especially 
Derwent  Water,  which  is  often  agitated  by  swell 
ing  waves  without  any  apparent  cause. 

Bouche.     See  BUSH. 

Bougainville,  Louis  Antoine  de.  Born  in 
Paris,  November  11,  1729.  The  first  voyage 
round  the  world  by  a  Frenchman  was  made  by 
this  illustrious  seaman.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic, 
braved  the  stormy  seas  around  Cape  Horn,  and 
passed  into  the  Pacific.  He  visited  many  places 
on  the  western  shores  of  America  and  among 
the  islands  in  the  Pacific,  but  the  charts  which 
he  prepared  and  bequeathed  to  his  country  and 
posterity  are  not  reliable,  owing  to  the  great  dif 
ficulty  in  Bougainville's  day  of  making  astro 
nomical  observations,  and  the  imperfect  character 
of  the  plans  laid  down  by  men  of  science  for  as 
certaining  the  longitude.  Died  August  31,  1811. 

Bouge.     See  BOWGE. 

Bouge  and  Chine,  or  Bowge  and  Chime.  A 
method  of  stowing  casks  with  the  bilge  of  one 
against  the  end  of  another. 

Bouguer,  Pierre.  Born  at  Le  Croisic,  in  Bre- 
tagne,  February  16,  1698.  A  profound  French 
mathematician,  who  was  one  of  a  body  of  savants 
deputed  in  1735  to  proceed  to  South  America  to 
measure  a  degree  of  the  meridian  at  the  equator. 
Died  August  15,  1758. 

Bouilli.  Preserved  beef  in  hermetically-sealed 
cans;  termed  by  sailors  "bully-beef,"  or  "soup 
and  bully." 

Boulder.     See  BOWLDER. 

Boulogne.  A  town  of  France,  on  the  Eng 
lish  Channel,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Lianne.  Lat. 
50°  44'  32"  N.  ;  Ion.  1°  36'  15"  E.  The  port 
is  formed  by  piers  stretching  out  only  to  low- 
water  mark,  but  the  tide  rises  upwards  of  16 
feet,  and  vessels  find  good  anchorage  about  half 
a  mile  from  the  harbor.  There  is  also  a  wet- 
dock  with  other  harbor  improvements.  Pop. 
40,000. 

Bounce.     The  larger  dog-fish. 


BOUNCEK 


89 


BOWLINE-KNOT 


Bouncer.  A  gun  which  kicks  violently  when 
fired. 

Bound.  The  path  of  a  projectile  between  two 
grazes.  Destined ;  going,  or  intending  to  go. 
Where  are  you  bound1?  to  what  place  are  you 
going.  Ice-bound,  entirely  surrounded  by  ice. 
Tide-bound,  beneaped,  or  prevented  from  sailing 
by  an  adverse  tide.  Wind-bound,  prevented 
from  sailing  by  an  unfavorable  wind. 

Boundary-line.  The  trace  of  the  outer  sur 
face  of  the  skin  of  a  ship  on  the  stern-post, 
stem,  and  keel. 

Bounty  for  Destruction  of  Enemies'  Vessels. 
An  amount  awarded  to  a  ship  or  vessel  of  the 
United  States  which  sinks  or  destroys  a  vessel 
of  war  belonging  to  an  enemy.  If  the  vessel  de 
stroyed  was  of  equal  or  superior  force  to  the 
United  States  vessel,  the  latter  is  awarded  $200 
for  each  person  on  board  the  former  at  the  begin 
ning  of  the  engagement;  if  of  inferior  force, 
$100  for  each  person.  If  the  captors  of  an 
enemy's  vessel  are  instructed  to,  or  do  immedi 
ately,  destroy  the  vessel  for  the  public  interest, 
$50  is  awarded  for  each  person  on  board  the  ves 
sel  at  the  time  it  was  captured.  The  gross 
amount  awarded  as  above  is  divided  among  the 
officers  and  crew  in  the  same  manner  as  prize- 
money.  (See  PRIZE-MONEY.)  When  the  actual 
number  of  persons  on  board  the  destroyed  vessel 
cannot  be  ascertained,  it  is  estimated  according 
to  the  complement  of  a  vessel  of  its  class  in  the 
United  States  navy.  This  bounty  is  authorized 
\>y  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  but  cannot  be 
paid  unless  an  appropriation  is  made  by  Con 
gress  for  that  purpose. 

Bourdonnais,  Bertrand  F.  de.  A  naval  officer 
in  the  service  of  the  French  East  India  Com 
pany.  He  held  the  post  of  Director-General  of 
Mauritius  (then  called  the  Isle  of  France)  and 
Bourbon  ;  and  in  1746,  when  France  and  Eng 
land  were  at  war,  he  beat  a  squadron  under  Ad 
miral  Bassett,  and  bombarded  the  city  of  Madras. 

Bourse  (Fr.).  An  exchange;  a  place  where 
merchants  congregate  to  transact  business. 

Bouse.     See  BOWSE. 

Bout.  A  turn,  round,  or  trial.  A  convivial 
meeting. 

'Bout-ship.  A  contraction  of  about-ship.  An 
order  to  prepare  for  going  about. 

Bow.  The  forward  part  of  a  vessel.  A  full 
or  bli<ff"bow'  is  broad  and  round  ;  a  sharp  or  lean 
bow  is  narrow  and  thin.  The  bow  fares  more 
or  less  as  it  falls  out  or  increases  in  breadth  at 
the  upper  part.  Doubling  of  the  bows,  a  thick 
planking  secured  on  the  bow  to  prevent  the  point 
of  the  anchor  from  injuring  it.  Bows  on,  stem 
first.  On  the  bow,  at  an  angle  less  than  45°  from 
the  ship's  course.  Broad  off  the  bow,  at  an  angle 
of  45°  from  the  ship's  course. 

Bow.  An  old  instrument  for  taking  angles, 
consisting  of  a  graduated  arc  of  90°,  three  vanes, 
and  a  staff. 

Bow-bye.  An  old  expression  for  the  situation 
of  a  ship  when  she  is  in  irons. 

Bow-chaser.  A  gun  placed  in  the  bow  to  fire 
on  a  retreating  vessel. 

Bowd-eaten.  An  old  term  for  eaten  by  wee 
vils. 

Bowditch,  Nathaniel,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.,  mathe 
matician  and  astronomer,  born  in  Salem,  Mass., 
March  26,  1773  ;  died  at  Boston,  March  16, 1838. 
The  poverty  of  his  parents  occasioned  his  with 


drawal  from  school  at  the  age  of  10,  and  after  an 
apprenticeship  in  a  ship-chandler's  shop  until  he 
was  21 ,  he  spent  nine  years  in  a  seafaring  life,  at 
taining  the  rank  of  master.  He  published  in  1800, 
while  engaged  as  a  supercargo,  his  well  known 
11  PracticarNavigator,"  still  a  standard  work  of 
great  utility  and  value.  His  fame  as  a  man  of 
science  will  principally  rest  on  his  Commentary 
on  the  "Mecanique  Celeste"  of  La  Place,  of  which 
he  made  the  first  entire  translation,  and  which 
he  elucidated  in  a  manner  that  commands  the 
admiration  of  scientific  men.  The  elucidations 
and  commentaries  of  Bowditch  form  more  than 
half  the  work.  They  record  subsequent  discov 
eries,  and  show  the  sources  whence  La  Place 
derived  assistance.  He  contributed  many  valu 
able  papers  to  "  The  Memoirs  of  the  American 
Academy,"  and  an  article  on  modern  astronomy 
to  vol.  xx.  "  North  American  Review."  At  his 
death  he  was  a  member  of  the  principal  scientific 
societies  of  Europe.  He  twice  had  a  seat  in  the 
.executive  council  of  Massachusetts. 

Bowditch's  Practical  Navigator.  The  stand 
ard  work  on  navigation,  published  by  the  gov 
ernment  and  supplied  to  all  government  vessels. 
It  contains,  with  the  "Nautical  Almanac,"  all 
the  data  necessary  for  the  solution  of  problems  in 
navigation. 

Bowed.  The  state  of  a  yard  when  it  arches 
in  the  centre  from  hoisting  it  too  taut.  Also  of 
a  mast  when  it  bellies  or  is  crippled  by  inju 
diciously  setting  up  the  rigging  too  taut. 

Bower.     See  ANCHOR  and  CHAIN. 

Bow-fast.  A  rope  or  chain  for  securing  a 
vessel  by  the  bow.  See  FAST. 

Bowge,  or  Bouge.     An  old  term  for  bilge. 

Bow-grace.  A  kind  of  frame  or  fender  of  old 
junk,  placed  round  the  bows  and  sides  of  a  ship 
to  prevent  her  receiving  injury  from  flouting  ice 
'or  timbers.  See  BON-GRACE. 

Bowing  the  Sea.  Meeting  a  turbulent  swell 
in  coming  to  the  wind. 

Bowlder.  A  large  stone  worn  and  rounded  by 
the  attrition  of  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

Bowlder-head.  A  work  against  the  encroach 
ment  of  the  sea  made  of  wooden  stakes. 

Bowline.  A  rope  leading  forward  connected 
by  bridles  to  cringles  on  the  leech  of  the  square- 
sails  ;  it  is  used  to  keep  the  weather-edge  of  the 
sail  steady  when  the  ship  is  close-hauled,  and 
enables  the  ship  to  come  nearer  to  the  wind. 

On  a  bowline  and  on  a  taut  bowline  are  expres 
sions  to  signify  that  a  ship  is  sailing  as  close  as 
possible  to  the  wind.  To  check,  slack,  or  come  up 
a  bowline  is  to  let  it  go  when  the  wind  becomes 
free.  To  clear  away  a  bowline  is  to  let  it  go 
when  preparing  to  swing  the  yard.  To  sharp, 
haul  taut,  or  steady  out  a  bowline  is  to  pull  it  as 
taut  as  it  can  well  bear. 

BOWLINE-BRIDLE.  The  span  attached  to  the 
cringles  on  the  leech  of  a  square-sail  to  which 
the  bowline  is  toggled  or  clinched. 

BOWLINE- CRINGLE.  An  eye  worked  into  the 
leech-rope  of  a  sail,  to  which  a  bowline  or  the 
bowline-bridle  is  attached. 

Bowline-bend.  The  mode  of  bending  warps 
or  hawsers  together  by  making  a  bowline  in  the 
end  of  one  rope,  and  passing  the  end  of  the  other 
through  the  bight,  and  making  a  bowline  upon  it. 

Bowline-knot.  A  knot  much  in  use  on  board 
ship.  The  loop  can  be  made  of  any  size,  and 
does  not  jamb  nor  render. 


BOW-LINES 


90 


BKAIL 


Bow-lines.  Longitudinal  curves  representing 
the  ship's  fore-body. 

Bowling  Along.  Sailing  rapidly  with  a  free 
wind. 

Bowman,  or  Bow-oarsman.  The  man  who 
pulls  the  forward  oar  in  a  single-hanked  loat. 
In  a  double-banked  boat  there  are  two  bowmen. 

Bow-oar.  The  foremost  oar  or  oars  in  a  pull 
ing  bqat. 

Bow-rail.     The  rail  around  the  bows. 

Bowse.  To  haul  heavily  upon  a  rope  or  tackle. 
Bowse  up  the  jib,  a  colloquialism  to  denote  the  act 
of  tippling.  It  is  an  old  term,  probably  derived 
from  the  Dutch  buyzen,  to  booze. 

Bowsprit.  A  large  spar  projecting  over  the 
bows  to  support  the  foremast  and  extend  the 
head-sails.  It  is  supported  laterally  by  shrouds, 
and  from  below  by  the  gammoning  and  bobstays. 
The  outer  end  is  the  head,  the  inner  end  the  heel, 
and  that  portion  which  is  inboard  is  called  the 
housing.  A  running-in  bowsprit  is  used  in  boats, 
and  when  the  jib  is  hauled  down,  the  bowsprit  is 
run  in. 

BOWSPRIT-BITTS.  Strong  upright  timbers  se 
cured  to  the  beams  below  the  deck  ;  they  have  a 
cross-piece  bolted  to  them,  the  inner  end  of  the 
bowsprit  steps  between  them,  and  is  thus  pre 
vented  from  slipping  in.  The  cross-piece  pre 
vents  it  from  canting  up. 

BOWSPRIT-CAP.  The  cap  on  the  outer  end  of 
the  bowsprit,  through  which  the  jib-boom  tra 
verses. 

BOWSPRIT-CHOCK.  A  piece  placed  between  the 
knight-heads,  fitting  close  upon  the  upper  part 
of  the  bowsprit. 

BOWSPRIT-GEAR.  A  term  denoting  the  ropes, 
blocks,  etc.,  belonging  to  the  bowsprit. 

BOWSPRIT-HEART.  The  heart  or  block  of  wood 
used  to  secure  the  lower  end  of  the  fore-stay, 
through  which  the  inner  end  of  the  jib-boom  is 
inserted.  It  is  seldom,  if  ever,  used  now. 

BOWSPRIT-HORSES.  The  ridge-ropes  which  ex 
tend  from  the  bowsprit-cap  to  the  knight-heads. 

BOWSPRIT-NETTING.  The  netting  placed  just 
above  a  vessel's  bowsprit,  for  stowing  the  fore- 
topmast  staysail ;  it  is  usually  lashed  between 
the  ridge-ropes. 

BOWSPRIT-SHROUDS.  Strong  ropes  or  chains 
leading  from  nearly  the  outer  end  of  the  bow 
sprit  to  the  bow,  giving  lateral  support  to  that 
spar. 

Bow-timbers.  The  timbers  which  form  the 
bow  of  a  ship. 

Box.  See  CARTRIDGE-,  COXSWAIN-,  PASS 
ING-,  PRIMER-,  TRANSPORTING-,  and  SHELL- 
BOX. 

Boxhauling.  An  evolution  by  which  a  ship 
is  veered  short  round  on  her  heel,  when  the  ob 
ject  is  to  avoid  making  a  great  sweep.  Luff; 
when  headway  has  ceased,  haul  up  mainsail, 
brail  up  spanker,  square  after-yards,  brace  abox 
head-yards.  Keep  the  after-sails  lifting  till 
braced  up  sharp  on  the  other  tack,  and  lay  the 
head-yards  square.  Shift  the  helm  when  the 
ship  gathers  headway,  and  set  the  mainsail  and 
spanker  when  they  will  take  on  the  other  tack. 
With  much  wind  and  sea  this  evolution  would 
be  dangerous,  and  it  is  seldom  performed  except 
in  a  case  of  emergency,  as  a  seaman  never  likes 
to  see  his  ship  have  sternway. 

Boxing.  Any  projecting  wood  forming  a 
rabbet ;  as,  the  boxing  of  the  knight-heads. 


Box-metal.  A  composition  of  32  parts  of 
copper  to  5  of  tin. 

Box-off.  To  force  the  ship's  head  off  from  the 
wind  by  hauling  aft  the  head-sheets  and  bracing 
aback  the  head-yards. 

Box  the  Compass.  To  repeat  the  names  of 
the  points  of  the  compass  in  regular  order. 

Boy.  A  rating  in  the  navy.  See  NAVAL 
APPRENTICE  SYSTEM. 

Boyart.     An  old  term  for  a  hoy. 

Boyer.  A  sloop  of  Flemish  construction, 
with  a  raised  work  at  each  end. 

Brab.  The  sheaf  of  the  young  leaves  of  the 
Palmyra  palm,  from  which  sennit  for  hats  is 
made. 

Brab-tree.     The  Palmyra  palm. 

Brace.  A  composition  strap  to  receive  a  pin 
tle  of  the  rudder ;  a  gudgeon.  A  prop  or  sup 
port.  In  carpentry  and  engineering  the  term 
strictly  applies  to  something  that  supports  parts 
in  compression,  being  the  opposite  of  a  stay  or 
tie;  but  in  boiler-making  it  is  sometimes  ap 
plied  to  parts  in  tension. 

One  of  the  ropes  attached  to  the  extremities  of 
the  yards  by  which  they  are  moved  about  hori 
zontally.  They  also  assist  in  counteracting  the 
lateral  strain  brought  on  the  yard  by  the  wind 
acting  on  the  sail.  To  brace  a  yard,  to  move  it 
horizontally  by  the  braces.  To  brace  up,  to  haul 
in  the  lee  braces.  To  brace  up  sharp,  to  brace  a 
3'ard  as  far  forward  as  the  stay  and  rigging  will 
permit  it  logo.  To  brace  in,  to haul  in  the  weather 
braces.  To  brace  to,  to  check  the  lee  head-braces 
and  haul  in  the  weather  ones  to  allow  the  ship's 
head  to  come  up  to  the  wind  rapidly.  To  brace 
aback,  to  so  brace  a  yard  that  its  sail  will  be 
aback.  To  brace  abox,  to  lay  the  head-yards 
abox.  To  counter-brace  the  yards  is  to  brace 
them  all  sharp  up,  the  head-yards  by  opposite 
braces  to  the  after-yards. 

Brace  of  Shakes.  An  expression  signifying 
"in  a  moment";  as,  I  will  be  with  you  in  a 
brace  of  shakes.  The  expression  is  taken  from 
the  napping  of  a  sail. 

Brace  Pendant.  A  length  of  rope  or  chain 
into  which  the  yard-arm  brace-blocks  are  spliced. 
They  are  in  use  in  the  merchant  service,  and 
have  the  following  advantages,  viz.,  rope  is 
saved,  the  blocks  have  more  play,  and  when  the 
lee  brace  is  let  go  the  weight  of  the  chain  over 
hauls  the  brace. 

Brace  Up  !  Gather  Aft !  An  order  to  brace 
up  the  head-yards  and  haul  aft  the  head-sheets 
which  had  been  flowing. 

Bracket.  A  short  crooked  timber  resembling 
a  knee,  used  as  a  support.  One  of  the  vertical 
side  pieces  of  a  gun-carriage;  when  made  of 
wood  they  are  generally  formed  of  two  pieces 
jogged  and  doweled  together. 

Brackish.  Moderately  salty  ;  applied  to  river 
water  mingled  with  sea  water. 

Brad.  A  small  nail  without  a  head,  having  a 
projection  at  the  top  on  one  side. 

BRAD-AWL.  A  tool  to  pierce  holes  for  the  in 
sertion  of  brads. 

Brail.  Brails  are  ropes,  the  bights  of  which 
are  seized  to  the  leech  of  a  trysail,  leading 
through  blocks  on  the  gaff  or  luff.  All  trysails 
are  fitted  with  them.  They  serve  to  gather  up 
the  sail  ready  for  the  furling-line.  When  a  jib 
is  fitted  with  brails  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  lifting 
the  clew  clear  of  the  stays  when  the  sheet  is 


BKAKE 


91 


BKEAST 


shifted  over.  Foot-brails,  the  lowest  brails.  Peak- 
brails,  the  outermost  brails  on  the  gaff.  Throat- 
brails,  the  brails  which  make  fast  to  the  clew  of 
the  sail  and  reeve  through  a  block  at  the  jaws  of 
the  gaff.  Brail-up !  the  order  to  pull  on  the 
brails  and  thereby  spill  the  sail  and  haul  it  up 
for  furling. 

Brake.  The  lever  which  works  a  pump.  A 
piece  of  mechanism  for  retarding  or  stopping 
machinery  by  friction. 

Bran.  To  go  on.  To  lie  under  a  floe  edge,  in 
foggy  weather,  in  a  boat  in  Arctic  seas,  to  watch 
the  approach  of  whales. 

Branch  (Eng.}.  The  diploma  of  those  pilots 
who  have  passed  at  the  Trinity  House,  as  compe 
tent  to  navigate  vessels  in  particular  places. 

Branch-pilot  (Eng.}.  One  approved  by  the 
Trinity  House,  and  holding  a  branch,  for  a  par 
ticular  navigation. 

Brand.  The  Anglo-Saxon  for  a  burnished 
sword.  A  burned  device  or  character. 

Branded  Ticket  (Eng.}.  A  discharge  given 
to  an  infamous  man,  on  which  his  character  is 
written,  and  the  reason  he  is  turned  out  of  the 
service.  In  the  army,  deserters  are  branded  with 
D ;  also  B  for  bad  character.  In  the  navy,  a 
•corner  of  the  ticket  is  cut  off. 

Brandling.  A  supposed  fry  of  the  salmon 
species,  found  on  the  north  of  England  coasts. 
Also,  the  angler's  dew-worm. 

Bran-new.     Brand-new  ;  quite  new. 

Brash.  Small  fragments  of  crushed  ice,  col 
lected  by  the  wind  or  sea  near  the  shore,  which  a 
ship  can  force  her  way  through. 

Brass.  Impudent  assurance.  An  alloy  of 
copper  and  zinc.  The  proportions  vary  accord 
ing  to  the  required  color  and  proposed  use.  The 
term  is  often  employed  as  synonymous  with 
bronze  (which  see),  as  when  it  is  applied  to  ord 
nance,  the  bearings  of  machinery,  etc.  See 
BRIGHT-WORK,  SHEATHING. 

Brave.  This  word  is  used  to  express  strength 
as  well  as  courage;  as,  a  brave  wind. 

Brawet.     A  kind  of  eel. 

Brazil,  Navy  of.  Fifty-seven  steamers,  of 
which  18  are  ironclads,  carrying  68  guns,  and 
possessing  5080  horse-power,  represent  the  navy 
of  the  Brazilian  empire.  The  gunboats  are  23  in 
number.  The  rest  of  the  vessels  are  corvettes  and 
transports,  and  1  small  frigate.  The  crews  consist 
altogether  of  4200  sailors,  and  for  their  command 
and  the  general  management  of  naval  affairs 
there  is  a  minister  of  marine,  1  admiral,  2  vice- 
admirals,  4  rear-admirals,  8  chiefs  of  division,  16 
post-captains,  30  captains  of  frigates,  60  com 
manders,  146  lieutenants,  and  88  sub-lieutenants. 
There  are  5  naval  arsenals  and^  „  good  naval 
school.  ft! 

Breach.  An  old  term  for  a  *  j ivy  surf.  An 
old  word  to  denote  the  gap  ir  ^J levee  or  bank 
made  by  the  breaking  in  of  (  sea,  now  also 
applied  to  the  opening  or  gay  jiav/ortified  works, 
made  by  an  enemy's  guns.  ra^yolling  of  waves 
over  a  vessel ;  a  clear  bres  '  Inplies  that  the 
waves  roll  over  without  yo  feJng,  and  a  sea 
makes  a  clean  breach  whene(j  Blasts  and  every 
object  on  deck  are  swept  ament  | 

Breaching.  A  word  ma  ga}|,-  the  act  of  leap 
ing  out  of  the  water ;  apr_0  a  ™5  whales. 

Breach/.  Brackish,  a^an  fed  to  water,  prob 
ably  derived  from  the  fa^r  for'Jt  water  was  made 
brackish  by  the  sea  break,  an  Jji. 


Bread.  The  usual  name  given  to  biscuit  for 
ship's  use. 

Bread-fruit.  The  fruit  of  a  tree  (Artocarpus 
incisa]  found  in  the  islands  of  the  Pacific.  When 
baked  it  somewhat  resembles  bread.  The  name 
is  also  applied  to  the  tree. 

Bread-room.  A  water-tight  compartment  in 
which  the  bread  is  stowed. 

Bread-room  Jack.     See  JACK  o'  THE  DUST. 

Bread-tree.     See  BREAD-FRUIT. 

Break.  An  opening  in  the  clouds.  An  inter 
ruption  ;  as,  a  break  in  an  electric  circuit.  A 
sudden  ending ;  as,  the  break  of  the  poop.  To 
deprive  of  commission,  warrant,  or  rating.  To 
shatter  into  pieces  ;  as,  a  wave  breaks.  To  break 
one's  liberty  or  leave  is  to  remain  away  beyond 
the  time  specified  for  returning.  To  break  off, 
to  be  forced  off  to  leeward  of  the  course  by  a 
change  in  the  direction  of  the  wind.  Break  off! 
An  order  to  stop  working  at  one  job  to  begin 
at  another.  To  break  up,  to  separate  into  parts  ; 
as,  the  ice  breaks  up.  To  break  up  a  ship  is  to 
take  her  to  pieces  when  she  becomes  old  and  un 
serviceable.  Breaking  up  of  the  monsoon,  the 
ending  or  shifting  of  a  monsoon.  This  period 
is  generally  prolific  of  violent  storms.  Breaking 
of  a  gale,  indications  of  a  return  of  fair  weather. 
To  break  bulk,  to  destroy  the  entirety  of  a  cargo 
by  removing  a  portion  of  it.  To  break  ground, 
to  heave  the  anchor  clear  of  the  ground.  To 
break  joints,  to  so  arrange  the  planking  that  the 
joints  in  adjoining  courses  do  not  coincide  with 
each  other.  When  a  ship  at  anchor  is  forced  by 
the  wind  or  current  out  of  her  proper  position 
she  is  said  to  break  her  sheer. 

Breakage.  Damage  to  goods  in  being  broken. 
The  leaving  of  empty  spaces  in  stowing  the  hold. 

Break-beam.     A  beam  at  the  break  of  a  deck. 

Breaker.  A  small  water-cask.  A  wave  which 
breaks  violently  over  reefs  or  rocks  lying  at,  or 
under,  the  surface  of  the  water.  They  are  dis 
tinguished  both  by  their  appearance  and  by  their 
sound,  as  they  cover  the  sea  with  foam  and  pro 
duce  a  loud  roaring.  Breakers  ahead  I  A  warn 
ing  from  the  lookout  that  there  is  broken  water 
in  the  direction  the  ship  is  standing. 

Breakwater.  Any  structure  or  contrivance, 
as  a  mole,  mound,  wall,  or  sunken  hulk,  to  break 
the  force  of  waves  and  protect  a  harbor  or  any 
thing  which  is  exposed  to  the  force  of  the  waves. 

Bream.  A  common  fresh-  as  well  as  salt 
water  fish  (Abramis  brama],  little  esteemed  as 
food. 

Breaming.  Cleaning  a  ship's  bottom  by  burn 
ing  off  the  grass,  ooze,  shells,  or  sea- weed,  which 
it  has  contracted  by  lying  long  in  harbor ;  it  is 
performed  by  holding  kindled  furze,  fagots,  or 
reeds  to  the  bottom,  which,  by  melting  the  pitch 
that  formerly  covered  it,  loosens  whatever  filth 
may  have  adhered  to  the  planks  ;  the  bottom  is 


then  covered  anew  with  a  composition  of  sulphur, 
tallow,  etc.,  which  not  only  makes  it  smooth 


and 


slippery,  so  as  to  divide  the  fluid  more  readily, 
but  also  poisons  and  destroys  those  worms  which 
eat  through  the  planks  in  the  course  of  a  voyage. 
This  operation  may  be  performed  either  by  lay 
ing  the  ship  aground  after  the  tide  has  ebbed 
from  her,  or  by  docking  or  careening. 

Breast.  To  run  abeam  of  a  cape  or  object. 
To  cut  through  a  sea,  the  surface  of  which  is 
poetically  termed  breast.  To  breast  the  sea,  to 
meet  it  by  the  bow  on  a  wind.  To  breast  the 


BKEAST-BACKSTAY 


92 


BRIDGE 


surf,  to  brave  it,  and  overcome  it  by  swimming. 
To  breast  a  bar,  to  heave  at  the  capstan.  To 
breast  to,  the  act  of  giving  a  sheer  to  a  boat. 

Breast-backstay.  Breast-backstays  extend 
from  the  head  of  an  upper  mast,  through  an  out 
rigger,  down  to  the  channels  forward  of  the 
standing  backstays,  for  supporting  the  upper 
spars  from  to  windward.  When  to  leeward, 
they  are  borne  abaft  the  top-rim. 

Breast-fast.  A  rope  or  chain  used  to  confine 
the  midship  part  of  a  ship  to  a  wharf  or  another 
ship,  as  the  bow-fast  confines  her  forward,  and 
the  .stern-fast  abaft.  See  FAST. 

Breast-gaskets.  An  old  term  for  bunt-gas 
kets. 

Breast-hooks.  (  Large  pieces  of  compass-tim 
bers  or  knees  fitted  in  the  bows  of  ships  against 
the  apron  and  stemson,  with  the  arms  running 
back  across  the  timbers  of  the  bow.  Those  in  the 
line  of  the  de^-ks  are  called  deck-hooks. 

Breast-rail.  The  upper  rail  of  the  balcony ; 
formerly  it  was  applied  to  a  railing  in  front  of 
the  quarter-deck,  and  at  the  after-part  of  the 
forecastle-deck. 

Breast-rope,  or  Breast-band.  A  rope  or 
band  fitted  between  the  shrouds  in  the  chains  for 
the  safety  of  the  leadsman. 

Breather.     A  tropical  squall. 

Breath  of  Wind.  The  lightest  perceptible 
air. 

Breech.  The  outer  angle  of  a  knee-timber. 
The  end  of  a  block  farthest  from  the  hook.  The 
portion  of  a  gun  abaft  the  chamber. 

B  RE  KCH-BLOCK.  A  mass  of  metal  which  closes 
the  breech  of  a  gun,  and  receives  the  rear  thrust 
of  the  charge  when  it  is  fired. 

BREECHING.  A  large  rope  rove  through  the 
cascabel  of  a  gun  and  secured  to  the  ship's  side, 
to  limit  the  recoil.  Breechings  are  made  of 
hemp,  and  they  are  not  to  be  covered,  blackened, 
nor  rendered  less  pliable  in  any  way. 

BREECHING-BOLT.  A  bolt  in  the  ship's  side  to 
which  the  breeching  is  shackled. 

BREECH-LOADER.  A  gun,  large  or  small,  which 
is  charged  at  the  breech.  The  objects  sought  to 
be  attained  by  this  change  from  the  old  system 
are  rapidity  in  loading,  facility  of  cleaning,  ac 
curate  adjustment  of  the  size  of  the  shot  to  the 
calibre  of  the  gun,  and  facility  in  making  the 
shot  accommodate  itself  to  the  rifling.  Addi 
tional  mechanism  is  required,  as  the  breech 
must  be  so  far  opened  as  to  admit  the  shot  and 
cartridge,  and  then  so  firmly  closed  as  to  resist  the 
immense  pressure  occasioned  by  the  discharge 
of  the  piece.  See  ORDNANCE  and  SMALL-ARMS. 

BREECH-PIN.  A  plug  screwed  into  the  rear- 
end  of  a  gun-barrel,  forming  the  bottom  of  the 
bore.  Called  also  a  breech-screw  or  breech-plug. 

BRKECH-PLUQ.    See  BREECH-PIN. 

BRE;-:CH-SCREW.     See  BREECH-PIN. 

BREECII-SH;HT.     See  SIGHT. 

Breese,  Samuel  L.,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N. 
Born  in  New  York.  Appointed  at  large,  Sep 
tember  10,  1810.  Midshipman  Breese  was  pre 
sent  at  the  battle  of  Lake  Champlain.  Commis 
sioned  as  lieutenant,  April  27,  1816,  and  as  com 
mander,  December  22,  1835.  Commissioned  as 
captain,  September  8,  1841. 

Captain  Breese  was  in  the  Pacific  during  the 
Mexican  war,  and  was  present  at  the  attack  on, 
and  capture  of,  the  towns  Tuspan  and  Tobasco, 
Mexico,  and  at  the  capture  of  Vera  Cruz,  1847  ; 


special  duty  on  the  lakes,  1848;  commandant 
Norfolk  navy-yard,  1853-55  ;  commanding  Medi 
terranean  Squadron,  1856-58 ;  commandant  navy- 
yard,  New  York,  1859-61. 

Commissioned  as  rear-admiral,  July  16,  1862 ; 
light-house  inspector,  1862;  special  duty,  New 
York,  1865  ;  port  admiral  at  Philadelphia,  1867- 
68.  Died  in  Philadelphia,  1870. 

Breeze.  A  wind  which  may  be  characterized 
as  light,  gentle,  moderate,  fresh,  stiff,  or  strong. 
The^land  and  sea  breezes  are  occasioned  by  the 
unequal  heating  of  the  land  and  water.  On  the 
coast  within  the  tropics,  a  light  breeze  sets  in 
from  the  sea  in  the  morning,  and  gradually  in 
creases  in  strength  until  the  hottest  portion  of 
the  day,  when  it  begins  to  decrease,  and  sinks  to 
a  cairn  toward  sunset.  Soon  after  the  land- 
breeze  commences  to  blow,  and  continues  until 
the  morning,  when  it  gives  place,  in  turn,  to  the 
sea-breeze. 

During  the  day  the  land  becomes  more  heated 
than  the  sea,  and  the  air  over  'the  land  ascends, 
and  the  cold  air  from  the  sea  rushes  in  to  supply 
its  place.  After  sunset  the  land  parts  with  its 
heat  more  readily  than  the  water,  and  the  tem 
perature  falls  below  that  of  the  sea,  and  the  air 
becoming  heavier  and  denser,  flows  out  to  sea  as 
a  land-breeze. 

To  KICK  UP  A  BREEZE.  To  create  a  disturb 
ance.  When  the  wind  increases  it  is  said  to 
breeze  up. 

Brest.  A  city  of  France,  on  the  N.  shore  of 
a  small  gulf,  called  the  Road  of  Brest.  Lat.  (of 
observatory)  48°  23'  32"  N. ;  Ion.  4°  29'  25"  W. 
It  is  a  fortified  city  of  the  first  class.  From  its 
natural  advantages,  the  extent  of  its  various  es 
tablishments,  and  its  means  of  defense,  Brest  is 
one  of  the  first  naval  ports  in  Europe.  The  outer 
road  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world,  and  has 
no  superior  in  the  safety  and  excellence  of  its  an 
chorage.  It  communicates  with  the  sea  by  a  single 
passage,  called  the  Goulet,  1750  yards  broad.  In 
the  middle  of  the  passage  rise  the  Mingan  Rocks, 
which  contract  the  entrance,  and  oblige  vessels 
to  pass  directly  under  the  batteries.  It  has  ex 
tensive  quays,  large  basins,  vast  magazines,  ship 
yards,  etc.  Brest  has  important  educational 
establishments,  and  the  naval  school  is  here  lo 
cated.  The  port  has  little  trade,  and  its  manu 
facturing  establishments  outside  the  arsenals  are 
not  la^e.  A  telegraph  cable  extends  to  Dux- 
bury,  Mass.  Pop."70,000. 

Brewing.  Gathering  or  forming  ;  as,  a  storm 
which  is  foretold  by  the  gathering  of  clouds,  or 
other  indications. 

Bricklayer's  Clerk.  A  contemptuous  expres 
sion  for  on  9  cho  pretends  to  have  seen  "  better 
days,"  bu'  imo  is  forced  to  betake  himself  to 
seafaring.  ^eidoN 

Bridge.v  &  ^Wangement  of  electrical  circuits 
used  for  r  v\ye  ^d  w<r  the  resistance  of  a  substance 
in  the  cir^  -Atv  i^mal 

A  platij^ef  the  ^or  other  substance,  in  a  cir 
cuit,  whi  c^  \t,  A  eat  resistance  to  the  passage 
of  the  cuiv  eStV$s.  lason  of  this  resistance  heat 
is  evolve^e  tiUs  art  the  current  be  suflicient, 
ignites  th  ^r.  the  1 

Bridge. ^^w?  on  th/  ridge  of  rock,  sand,  or 
shingle,  aie,^  V. them,  torn  of  a  channel,  so  as  to 
occasion  a'  ^\\  »r  the  .yhich  the  tide  ripples. 

Bridge. '^\\wviils  it  ;  partition  in  a  furnace. 
It  may  be  ?. .  „  Uof  thc-brick  or  of  iron.  Some- 


I 


BKIDGE 


93 


BROAD  OF  WATER 


times  it  is  hollow,  and  forms  a  portion  of  the 
water-space  of  a  boiler. 

Bridge.  A  platform  extending  across  the 
deck  above  the  rail  for  the  convenience  of  the 
officer  in  charge  of  the  ship.  Some  vessels  have 
two  bridges,  one  forward  of  the  main-  and  the 
other  forward  of  the  mizzen-mast.  In  paddle- 
wheel  vessels  it  connects  the  paddle-boxes. 

Bridgeport,  a  city  and  port  of  entry  of  Con 
necticut,  is  on  a  small  inlet  of  Long  Island 
Sound,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pequonnock  River. 
Steamers  ply  daily  between  this  port  and  New 
York.  Pop.  20,000. 

Bridle.  A  chain  or  rope  span,  both  ends  of 
which  are  made  fast,  the  power  being  applied  to 
the  bight  or  middle  portion. 

BOWLINE-BRIDLE.  A  span  the  legs  of  which 
are  attached  to  the  leech  of  a  sail,  and  the  bow 
line  is  bent  to  the  bight. 

BRIDLE-CABLE.  The  cable  which  is  bent  to  a 
bridle. 

MOORING-BRIDLE.  The  chains  of  permanent 
moorings. 

Bridle-port.  The  forward  port  on  the  gun- 
deck. 

Brig.  The  name  given  to  the  place  where 
prisoners  are  confined  on  board  men-of-war.  A 
two-masted  square-rigged  vessel.  See  BRIG- 
SCHOONER  and  HERMAPHRODITE  BRIG. 

Brigantine.  A  two-masted  square-rigged  ves 
sel,  differing  from  a  brig  in  that  she  does  not 
carry  a  square  mainsail. 

Bright  Look-out.     A  vigilant  look-out. 

Bright-work.  A  term  applied  to  metal  objects 
which  are  kept  bright  by  polishing  ;  as,  the  rail 
ing  about  the  hatches,  capstan-head,  cap-squares, 
lock-  and  sight-covers,  metal  blocks,  rear  face  of 
the  cascabel,  face  of  the  muzzle,  ring-bolts  in 
the  decks,  etc.  Bright  wood-work  is  a  term  ap 
plied  to  the  wood-work  which  is  scraped  and 
scrubbed;  as,  the  pin-rails,  cavils,  cleats,  halliard- 
racks,  etc. 

Brig-schooner.  A  two-masted  vessel  with 
square-sails  on  the  foremast  and  fore-and-aft  sails 
on  the  main  ;  an  hermaphrodite  brig. 

Brill.  The  Pleuronectes  rhombus,  a  common 
fish,  allied  to,  but  smaller  than,  the  turbot. 

Brine.     A  saturated  solution  of  salt. 

Brine-gauge.     See  SALTNOMETER. 

Brine-pump.  A  pump  to  draw  off  the  super- 
salted  water  from  a  boiler. 

Brine-valve.     A  blow-off  valve. 

Bring  by  the  Lee.  See  BROUGHT  BY  THE  LEE. 

Bring  'em  Near.     A  spy-glass. 

Bringers  Up.  The  men  who  are  last  in  a 
boarding  party.  The  rear-most  men. 

Bring  Home.  When  the  toggle  becomes  dis 
engaged  and  the  chip  slips  through  the  water  the 
ship  brings  home  the  log.  When  in  heaving  up 
the  anchor,  the  anchor  comes  home,  the  ship 
brings  home  the  anchor. 

Bringing-to  Bolt.  A  bolt  having  an  eye  in 
one  end  and  a  nut  and  screw  at  the  other ;  used 
in  keying  up  a  structure. 

Bring  the  Sun  Down.  To  bring  in  contact 
the  horizon  and  the  reflected  image  of  the  sun 
in  a  sextant  or  other  instrument. 

Bring-to.  To  bring-to  a  sail  is  to  bend  it  to 
its  yard  or  gaff.  To  bring  to  a  messenger  or  cable 
is  to  put  it  around  the  capstan.  To  bring  a  ship 
to  is  to  lie-to  or  heave-to  or  force  another  ship  so 
to  do.  To  bring  a  ship  to  an  anchor  is  to  let  go 


the  anchor.  To  bring  an  enemy  to  action  is  to 
force  him  to  give  battle. 

Bring-up.  To  stop.  A  ship  is  brought  up 
when  her  way  is  stopped  either  by  letting  go 
the  anchor,  or  by  running  on  a  rock  or  shoal. 
To  bring-up  with  a  round  turn  is  to  stop  the  run 
ning  of  a  rope  by  taking  a  round  turn  around  a 
cavil  or  pin;  figuratively  used  in  speaking  of 
doing  anything  effectually  though  abruptly.  To 
bring-up  all  standing  is  to  be  stopped  suddenly 
and  without  warning. 

Briny.  An  adjective  which,  used  as  a  noun, 
signifies  the  sea ;  as,  plowing  the  briny. 

Brisas.  A  northeast  wind  which  blows  on 
the  coast  of  South  America  during  the  trades. 

Brismak.  A  name  among  the  Shetlanders  for 
the  excellent  fish  CM  lied  tusk  or  torsk,  the  best  of 
the  cod  kind  (Brosmus  vulgaris}. 

Bristol  (England)  is  on  the  Avon,  at  its  con 
fluence  with  the  Frome,  8  miles  from  Bristol 
Channel.  It  is  one  of  the  leading  British  ports 
in  foreign  trade.  Large  ships  can  ascend  the 
river  to  the  city,  where  spacious  docks,  quays, 
and  ship-yards  have  been  constructed.  It  is  the 
fourth  town  in  Great  Britain  in  customs  rev 
enue.  Pop.  190,000. 

Brit.  A  fish  of  the  herring  kind  (Clupea 
minima]  from  1  to  4  inches  long,  found,  at  some 
seasons,  in  immense  numbers,  on  the  eastern  coast 
of  New  England. 

British-built  Ship.  A  ship  built  in  Great 
Britain  or  Ireland,  Guernsey,  Jersey,  the  Isle  of 
Man,  or  some  of  the  colonies*  plantations,  islands, 
or  territories  in  Asia,  Africa,  or  America,  which, 
at  the  time  of  building,  belonged  to  or  were  in 
possession  of  Great  Britain  ;  or  any  ship  whatso 
ever  which  has  been  taken  and  condemned  as 
lawful  prize.  See  INTERNATIONAL  LAW. 

British  Seas.  The  four  seas  which  surround 
Great  Britain. 

Brittle-star.  The  common  name  of  a  long- 
rayed  starfish  (Ophiocoma  rosula). 

Broach.  To  pierce  ;  to  tap  ;  as  a  cask,  to  draw 
off  the  fluid.  To  broach  a  business,  to  begin  it. 

Broach-to.  To  fly  up  into  the  wind.  It  gen 
erally  happens  when  there  is  considerable  sea  on, 
and  the  ship  is  carrying  a  press  of  canvas  with  a 
good  deal  of  after-sail  set.  When  a  ship  sails 
with  the  wind  aft,  or  on  the  quarter,  the  wind 
acts  in  the  direction  of  the  ship's  course  and  the 
pressure  on  the  sails  is  very  much  diminished. 
If  from  this  position  the  ship  suddenly  presents 
her  broadside  to  the  wind,  the  sails,  masts,  and 
rudder  will  be  endangered,  and  in  extreme  cases 
the  ship  may  capsize  or  be  forced  down  stern 
foremost.  Broaching-to  is  generally  occasioned 
by  the  difficulty  of  steering  the  ship  ;  by  the  neg 
ligence  or  incapacity  of  the  helmsman  ;  or  by  an 
accident  happening  to  the  helm  which  renders  it 
incapable  of  governing  the  ship.  See  BROUGHT 
BY  THE  LEE. 

Broad  Arrow  (Eng.}.  The  royal  mark  for 
government  stores. 

Broad-ax.     See  Ax. 

Broadcloth.  Square-sails.  A  wide  and  su 
perior  article  of  woolen  cloth,  plain  or  twilled. 

Broad-horn.  An  old  name  for  a  flat-boat  on 
the  Western  rivers. 

Broad  of  Water.  An  extensive  lake  with  a 
channel  communicating  with  the  sea,  or  a  wide 
opening  of  a  river  after  passing  a  narrow  en 
trance. 


BUG 


96 


BUMP 


commerce  of  Buffalo  is  large  and  constantly  in 
creasing,  a  fact  due  to  its  location  at  the  foot  of 
the  great  chain  of  lakes,  and  to  its  being  the 
terminus  of  the  Erie  Canal  and  of  several  rail 
road  lines.  Grain  is  the  most  important  article 
of  commerce,  and  the  facilities  for  handling  and 
storing  it  are  unexcelled  by  those  of  any  other 
city  on  the  continent.  Pop.  150,000. 

Bug.  An  old  term  for  a  vessel  more  remark 
able  for  size  than  efficiency. 

Bugalilo.  A  large  trading-boat  of  the  Gulf 
of  Persia ;  called  buglo  by  sailors. 

Bugazeen.     An  old  term  for  calico. 

Buggy-boat.  A  boat  fitted  with  wheels  for 
use  as  a  vehicle  on  land. 

Bugling.  At  the  Naval  Academy  the  bugle 
sounds  a  call  to  terminate  each  recitation,  and 
when  a  midshipman  has  a  problem  which  he  is 
unable  to  solve,  he  sometimes  remains  at  the  black 
board  until  this  call  is  sounded,  trusting  thus  to 
evade  the  consequences  of  a  poor  recitation. 
This  manoeuvre  is  termed  bugling. 

Bugologist.  Jack's  term  for  an  amateur 
entomologist. 

Build.     A  vessel's  form  or  construction. 

Build  a  Chapel.  To  turn  a  vessel  suddenly 
by  negligent  steering.  See  CHAPEL. 

Builder's  Certificate.  A  document  contain 
ing  an  account  of  a  ship's  denomination,  tonnage, 
where  and  by  whom  built,  etc. 

Built.  A  suffix  to  denote  the  construction  of 
a  boat  or  vessel ;  as.  carvel-built,  frigate-built, 
sharp-built,  etc. 

Built-block.     A  made  block. 

Built-up.  An  expression  applied  to  masts  or 
guns  made  of  several  pieces. 

Bulch.     To  bilge. 

Bulge.     See  BILGE. 

Bulk.  The  greater  part.  Substances  stowed 
without  cases  or  packages  are  stowed  in  bulk.  To 
break  hulk,  to  commence  discharging  cargo. 

BULKER.  A  person  employed  to  measure 
goods>  and  ascertain  the  amount  of  freight  with 
which  they  are  charge'able. 

Bulk-head.  Anv  partition  separating  apart 
ments  on  the  same  deck.  Some  are  very  strong, 
and  others  are  light  and  can  be  removed  at  pleas 
ure.  To  hulk-head  is  to  carry  on  a  conversation 
which  is  intended  for  the  ears  of  a  third  party. 

Bull.  A  male  whale.  Weak  grog  made  by 
pouring  water  into  a  spirit-cask  nearly  empty. 
When  the  tide  and  wind  cause  the  ship  to  bump 
up  against  her  buoy  she  is  said  to  bull  the  buoy. 

Bull-dance.     A  stag-dance. 

Bull-dogs.  A  general  term  for  the  main-deck 
guns. 

Bullet.  A  small  projectile,  usually  of  lead, 
and  either  spherical  or  elongated,  for  use  in  the 
smaller  kinds  of  fire-arms,  such  as  muskets,  rifles, 
carbines,  and  pistols.  Formerly  spherical  bullets 
were  made  by  melting  lead  and  pouring  it  into 
molds.  They  are  now  made  more  expeditiously 
and  more  truly  spherical  by  compression.  The 
load  is  first  formed  into  a  rod  about  a  yard  long 
by  five-  or  six-eighths  of  an  inch  thick',  which  is 
passed  between  rollers  for  the  purpose  of  con 
densing  it;  other  rollers  then  press  it  into  a  row 
of  nearly  globular  pieces,  to  each  of  which  the 
proper  form  is  given  by  means  of  a  spherical  die, 
after  which  a  treadle- worked  punch  separates 
them  into  bullets.  The  spherical  bullet  is,  how 
ever,  rapidly  becoming  obsolete,  having  been 


almost  entirely  superseded  by  the  elongated  bullet, 
which  encounters  less  resistance  from  the  air,  and 
has  a  longer  range  and  greater  penetrating  power 
than  the  spherical.  Several  forms  of  the  elon 
gated  bullet  are  used.  In  most  of  them  the  base 
of  the  bullet  is  made  expansive  either  by  being 
hollowed,  or  by  being  fitted  with  a  wooden  plug, 
so  that  the  force  of  the  powder  shall  dilate  the 
lead  and  cause  it  to  fill  the  grooves  of  the  rifle. 
By  this  means  the  bullet  acquires  a  rotatory  mo 
tion  around  its  long  axis  which  tends  to  increase 
its  range  and  precision.  See  EXPLOSIVE  BULLET. 

BULLET-COMPASSES.  A  pair  of  compasses 
with  a  ball  on  one  leg  to  fit  in  a  hole. 

BULLET-LADLE.  A  ladle  for  melting  lead  for 
casting  bullets. 

BULLET-MOLD.  An  implement  for  shaping 
bullets. 

BULLET-PROBE.  An  instrument  for  exploring 
tissue  to  find  the  situation  of  a  bullet. 

BULLET-SCREW.  A  screw  on  the  end  of  a 
rammer  for  drawing  a  bullet  from  a  fire-arm. 

BULLET-SHELL.     An  explosive  bullet. 

Bull-head,  or  Bull-jub.  A  name  of  the  fish 
called  miller's  thumb  (Coitus  gobio). 

Bullion.    Heavy  twisted  fringe  for  ornaments. 

Bullock-block.  A  block  formerly  used  under 
the  topmast  cross-trees  for  the  topsail-ties. 

Bullock-slings.  Slings  for  hoisting  in  live 
cattle. 

Bull's-eye.  A  small  annular  block  of  hard 
wood  without  a  sheave ;  it  has  a  groove  to  take 
a  strap,  and  is  measured  by  its  diameter.  A 
small  circular  cloud  ruddy  in  the  centre,  a  fore 
runner  of  a  storm.  The  centre  of  a  target.  The 
lens  of  a  dark  lantern  ;  hence  the  lantern  itself. 
A  small,  thick,  circular  piece  of  glass  inserted 
in  the  decks,  port-lids,  etc.,  for  the  admission  of 
light.  A  popular  name  for  the  star  Aldebaran 
(a  Tauri). 

BULL'S-EYE  CRINGLE.  A  cringle  worked 
around  a  bull's-eye. 

Bull-trout.  The  salmon-trout  of  the  Tweed. 
A  large  species  of  trout  taken  in  the  waters  of 
Northumberland.  The  sea-trout. 

Bullyrag.  To  reproach  contemptuously,  and 
in  a  hectoring  manner  ;  to  bluster,  to  abuse,  and 
to  insult  noisily. 

Bulwark.  The  planking  or  wood-work  round 
a  vessel  above  the  deck. 

BULWARK-NETTING.  An  ornamental  frame 
of  netting  answering  the  purpose  of  a  bulwark. 

Bumbard.  A  cask  or  large  vessel  for  liquids. 
See  BOMBARD. 

Bum-boat.  A  boat  employed  to  carry  pro 
visions,  vegetables,  and  small  merchandise  for 
sale  to  ships.  The  name  is  corrupted  from  bom 
bard,  the  vessel  in  which  beer  was  formerly  car 
ried  to  soldiers  on  duty. 

Bumkin,  Bumpkin,  or  Boomkin.  A  short 
boom  or  beam  of  timber  projecting  from  each 
bow  of  a  ship.  Its  use  is  to  extend  the  weather 
clew  of  the  foresail.  The  name  is  also  applied 
to  the  timber  projecting  from  each  quarter  for 
the  main-brace  blocks. 

Bummaree.  A  word  synonymous  with  bot- 
tomri/  in  maritime  law.  It  is  also  a  name  given 
to  a  class  of  speculating  salesmen  of  fish,  not  rec 
ognized  as  regular  tradesmen. 

Bump.  To  bump  a  boat  is  to  pull  astern  of 
her  in  another,  and  insultingly  or  inimically  give 
her  the  stem. 


BUMP-ASHORE 


BUOYS 


Bump-ashore.  To  run  stem-on  to  a  beach  or 
bank.  A  ship  bumps  by  the  action  of  the  waves 
lifting  and  dropping  her  on  the  bottom  when  she 
is  aground. 

Bumper.  A  log  of  wood  over  the  side,  used 
as  a  fender. 

Bumpkin.     See  BUMKIN. 

Bund.  In  the  East,  an  embankment  or  sea 
wall. 

Bundle.  To  load  things  into  a  boat  in  a  slovenly 
manner.  Bundle  up  I  Hurry  up  from  below. 

Bungle.  To  perform  duty  in  a  slovenly  man 
ner. 

Bungo,  or  Bonga.  A  dug-out  made  from  the 
bonga-tree. 

Bung-starter.  A  stave  or  bat  used  for  starting 
bungs  by  beating  on  the  cask  on  either  side  of 
the  bung.  A  sobriquet  for  the  captain  of  the 
hold. 

Bung-up  and  Bilge-free.  A  cask  placed  with 
the  bung-stave  uppermost,  and  the  bilge  clear  of 
everything. 

Bunk.     A  standing  bed-place. 

Bunker.  A  bin  for  stowing  coal  on  board  a 
steamer. 

Bunt.  The  middle  part  of  a  sail.  The  sail 
which  is  tossed  up  on  the  centre  of  the  yard  in 
furling.  A  high  bunt  is  formed  when  the  bunt- 
whip  is  hauled  taut-up  and  a  great  amount  of 
sail  is  stowed  in  the  exact  centre  of  the  yard  ;  in 
a  lorv  or  roiling  bunt  the  sail  tapers  gradually 
from  the  centre. 

BUNTERS.     The  men  who  stow  the  bunt. 

BUNT-FAIR.     Before  the  wind. 

BUNT-GASKET.     See  GASKET. 

BUNT-JIGGER.  A  small  purchase  for  rousing 
up  the  bunt  of  heavy  sails. 

BUNT-WHIP.  A  whip  for  rousing  up  the  bunts 
of  the  light  sails  in  furling. 

Bunting.  A  thin  woolen  stuff  of  which  flags 
are  made. 

Buntline.  One  of  sev"  il  ropes  toggled  to  the 
foot  of  a  sail  and  leadin  _,  thence,  before  all,  to 
blocks  above  the  yard  and  thence  to  the  deck. 
They  are  used  for  hauling  the  foot  of  the  sail  up 
to  the  centre  of  the  yard. 

BUNTLINE-CLOTH,  A  narrow  lining  on  the 
forward  surface  of  a  sail  in  the  wake  of  the  bunt- 
line  to  protect  the  '.  iil  from  chafe. 

^E.     A  cringle  worked  into 
,il  to  which  the  buntline  was 
have  been   superseded   by 


BUNTLINE-CRIJ 

the  foot-rope  of  r 
clinched.      Crin 
toggles. 

BUNTLINE-S 

a  thimble  in  o- 
is  rove ;  the 
block  to  keep 
ally  called  a 

BUNTLINI 

foot-rope  of 
tached  by  a 
bowline,  th< 
and  are  attf 
Buoy.     . 
tight  cask, 
attached  t 
serve  to  m; 
tion  of  obj 
rocks,  she 
for  other 
permanen 
of  a  sein 


A  short  piece  of  rope  with 
through  which  the  buntline 
nd  is  made  fast  to  the  tie- 

into  the  yard.    It  is  gener- 

A  toggle   seized  to  the 

;j  which  the  buntline  is  at- 

\;'hen  the  sail  is  loosed  to  a 

are  unbent  from  the  bridles 

ese  toggles. 

body,  commonly  a  water- 
ilock  of  wood.  They  are 
n  by  a  rope  or  chain,  and 
annel,  or  indicate  the  posi- 
le  surface  of  the  water  ;  as, 
,etc.  They  are  also  used 
>,  life-preservers,  floats  for 
floats  for  the  upper  edge 
r  are  generally  made  of 


wood,  or  sheet-iron,  but  gutta-percha  has  some 
times  been  used.  They  are  variously  shaped 
and  colored,  and  sometimes  named  and  num 
bered,  in  order  that  they  may  be  easily  distin 
guished  from  each  other.  A  cone-  or  can-buoy  is 
conical  in  shape,  a  cask-buoy  cylindrical  or  nearly 
so,  and  a  nut-  or  nun-buoy  is  shaped  like  the  frus- 
trum  of  two  cones  with  the  bases  joined  together. 
A  spar-buoy  is  a  spar,  one  end  of  which  is  an 
chored.  Anchor-buoys  are  attached  to  the  an 
chors,  and  serve  to  mark  out  the  position  of  the 
anchors,  so  that  they  may  be  avoided  in  tending 
ship,  or  picked  up  in  case  of  being  obliged  to 
slip.  A  bell-buoy  is  a  large  buoy  on  which  is 
placed  a  bell,  which  is  sounded  by  the  heaving 
and  setting  of  the  sea.  A  whistling-buoy  is  fitted 
with  an  apparatus  which  makes  a  peculiar 
whistling  noise  at  certain  stag*es  of  the  tide  or 
sea.  To  buoy  an  object  is  to  indicate  its  posi 
tion  by  means  of  a  buoy  and  a  rope  or  chain. 
To  buoy  the  cable  is  to  attach  a  buoy  to  the 
bight  to  keep  it  from  sinking  and  chafing 
against  the  rocks.  To  bleed  a  buoy\s  to  let  the 
water  out  of  it.  A  buoy  watches  when  it  floats 
on  the  water.  To  stream  the  buoy  is  to  let  an 
anchor-buoy  fall  from  the  bows  previous  to 
letting  go  the  anchor. 

Buoyancy.  The  quality  of  floating  in  a  liquid. 
The  weight  of  a  floating  body  as  measured  by  the 
volume  of  fluid  displaced. 

CENTRE  OF  BUOYANCY.     See  CENTRE. 

Buoys,  Directions  for  Coloring,  Numbering, 
and  Placing.  UNITED  STATES. — In  conformity 
to  the  terms  of  the  act  of  Congress,  approved 
September  28,  1850,  prescribing  the  manner  of 
coloring  and  numbering  the  buoys  along  the 
coasts  and  in  the  bays,  sounds,  rivers,  and  har 
bors  of  the  United  States,  the  following  order 
must  be  observed,  viz. : 

1.  In  approaching  the  channel,  etc.,  from  sea 
ward,  red  buoys,  with  even  numbers,  will  be  found 
on  the  starboard  side  of  the  channel,  and  must 
be  left  on  the  starboard  hand  in  passing  in. 

2.  In  approaching  the  channel,  etc.,  from  sea 
ward,  black  buoys,  with   odd   numbers,  will   be 
found  on  the  port  side  of  the  channel,  and  must 
be  left  on  the  port  hand  in  passing  in. 

3.  Buoys  painted  with  red  and  black  horizontal 
stripes  will  be  found  on  obstructions,  with  chan 
nel-ways  on  either  side  of  them,  and  may  be  left 
on  either  hand  in  passing  in. 

4.  Buoys  painted  with  white   and  black  per 
pendicular  stripes  will  be  found  in  mid-channel, 
and  must  be  passed  close-to  to  avoid  danger. 

5.  All  other  distinguishing   marks  to  buoys 
will  be  in  addition  to  the  foregoing,  and  may  be 
employed   to  mark  particular  spots,  a  descrip 
tion  of  which  will  be  given  in  the  printed  list  of 
buoys. 

6.  Perches,  with  balls,  cages,  etc.,  will,  when 
placed  on  buoys,  be  at  turning-points,  the  color 
and  number  indicating  on  what  side  they  shall 
be  passed. 

The  following  abbrevations  are  used  on  charts 
and  buoy  lists : 

R.,  red  buoys,  Nos.  2,  4,  6,  etc.,  starboard.  B., 
black  buoys,  Nos,  1,  3,  5,  etc.,  port.  P.  S.,  white 
and  black  perpendicular  stripes,  without  num 
bers,  in  mid-channel.  H.  S.,  red  and  ^  black 
horizontal  stripes  (on  obstructions),  without 
numbers. 

BELGIUM. — On  entering  the  channel  from  sea- 


BURBOT 


98 


BURT'S   NIPPERS 


ward,  white  buoys  must  be  left  on  the  starboard 
hand,  black  buoys  on  the  port. 

CANADA.— The  same  as  the  United  States. 

ENGLAND. — The  starboard  side  of  a  channel  is 
the  right-hand  side  proceeding  from  seaward. 
The  entrance  to  a  channel  or  a  turning-point  is 
marked  by  a  spiral  buoy,  with  or  without  staff 
and  globe,  triangle,  cage,  etc.  Single-colored 
can-buoys,  black  or  red,  mark  the  starboard  side, 
and  buoys  of  the  same  shape  and  color,  either 
checkered  or  vertically  striped  with  white,  mark 
the  port  side.  Globes  are  used  on  buoys  on  the 
starboard  hand,  and  cages  on  the  port.  When  a 
middle  ground  exists  in  a  channel,  each  end  of 
it  is  marked  by  a  buoy  with  horizontal  white 
stripes.  Wrecks  are  marked  by  green  buoys. 
All  buoys  have  their  names  painted  on  them  in 
conspicuous  letters. 

FRANCE. — On  entering  a  channel  from  sea 
ward,  all  buoys  and  beacons  painted  red  with  a 
white  band  near  the  summit,  must  be  left  to  star 
board  ;  those  painted  black  must  be  left  to  port. 
Buoys  that  can  be  passed  on  either  side  are  painted 
red  with  black  horizontal  bands.  That  part  of  a 
beacon  below  the  level  of  high  water,  and  all 
warping  buoys,  are  painted  white.  The  small 
rocky  heads  in  frequented  channels  are  colored 
the  same  as  beacons  when  they  have  a  surface 
sufficiently  conspicuous.  Each  buoy  or  beacon 
has  upon  it  the  name  of  the  danger  it  is  intended 
to  point  out,  and  also  its  number,  commencing 
from  seaward.  The  even  numbers  are  on  the  red 
buoys,  and  the  odd  numbers  on  the  black.  The 
buoys  that  can  be  passed  on  either  side  are  named 
but  not  numbered. 

HOLLAND. — The  same  as  Belgium. 

SCOTLAND. — Coming  from  seaward,  leave  the 
red  buoys  on  the  starboard  hand,  and  the  black 
buoys  on  the  port.  Red  and  black  buoys  are 
placed  on  detached  dangers,  and  may  be  passed  on 
either  side.  Wrecks  are  marked  by  green  buoys. 
Fairway  buoys  are  plainly  marked,  and  all  buoys 
have  their  names  painted  on  them.  Liverpool  is 
buoyed  on  the  same  system. 

BUOY-ROPE.  The  rope  which  attaches  the 
buoy  to  the  anchor  ;  it  should  always  be  of  suffi 
cient  strength  to  lift  the  anchor  should  the  cable 
part. 

BUOY-ROPE  KNOT.  A  knot  made  by  unlaying 
the  strands  of  a  cable-laid  rope,  and  also  the 
small  strand  of  each  large  strand ;  and  after  single 
and  double  walling  them,  as  for  a  stopper-knot, 
worm  the  divisions,  and  round  the  rope. 

Burbot.  A  fish  of  the  genus  Lota,  shaped 
like  an  eel,  but  shorter  and  thicker,  with  a  flat 
head,  having  on  the  nose  two  small  beards  and 
another  on  the  chin.  Sometimes  called  an  eel- 
pout. 

Burden.  The  quantity  of  merchandise  that 
a  ship  carries  when  properly  trimmed.  See  TON 
NAGE. 

Bureau.  A  department  of  government.  In 
most  European  countries  the  highest  depart 
ments  of  government  receive  the  name  of  bureaus. 
In  England  and  the  United  States  the  term  is 
confined  to  subordinate  departments,  as  Bureau 
of  Ordnance.  See  ORGANIZATION. 

Burgall.  A  fish  of  our  eastern  coasts,  from  6 
to  12  inches  long  ;  also  called  the  blue-perch,  the 
chogset,  and  the  nibbler, — the  last  from  its  habit 
of  nibbling  off  the  bait  thrown  for  other  fishes. 

Burgee.     A  swallow-tailed  flag ;  in  the  mer 


chant  service  it  generally  has  the  ship's  name  on 
it. 

Burgomaster.  In  the  Arctic  Sea,  a  large 
species  of  gull  (Larus  glaucus). 

Burgoo.  A  dish  made  of  boiled  oatmeal  sea 
soned  with  salt,  butter,  and  sugar. 

Burgoyne,  Hugh  Talbot.  Born  in  1838.  Only 
son  of  Sir  John  Burgoyne,  Royal  Engineers. 
He  was  a  captain  in  the  English  navy.  During 
the  Crimean  war,  while  still  a  junior  officer,  he 
commanded  a  small  but  active  vessel.  For  his 
action  at  Kinburn  he  was  made  one  of  the  first 
recipients  of  the  Victoria  cross.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  was  made  Knight  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor,  and  received  the  order  of  Medjidie. 
After  this  he  was  rapidly  promoted.  He  was  lost 
while  in  command  of  the  Coles  turret-ship 
"  Captain,"  which  foundered  off  Cape  Finisterre, 
September  7,  1870.  The  "Captain"  had  an  ex 
tremely  low  free-board,  and  was  built  by  Laird, 
of  Birkenhead,  under  the  supervision  of  her  de 
signer,  Captain  Coles,  and  Captain  Burgoyne. 

During  her  first  cruise,  in  May,  1870,  Admiral 
Sir  Thomas  Symonds  reported  her  as  behaving 
extremely  well  in  all  weather,  using  her  heavy 
guns  readily  in  a  seaway,  very  stable,  and  es 
pecially  handy  under  sail.  She  capsized,  how 
ever.  Her  constructor,  Captain  Cowper  Coles, 
R.N.,  perished  in  her,  with  542  out  of  560  souls, 
who  composed  her  complement. 

The  former  chief  constructor  of  the  Royal 
navy,  Mr.  E.  J.  Reed,  had  always  declared  that 
the  "  Captain"  was  uhseaworthy. — E.  Shippen. 

Burley-twine.     A  strong  coarse  twine. 

Burnettizing.  A  process  for  the  preservation 
of  timber.  The  timber  is  immersed  in  a  solution 
of  chloride  of  zinc  for  a  certain  period,  which 
depends  upon  the  size  of  the  timber. 

Burn  the  Water.  A  phrase  denoting  the  act 
of  killing  fish  at  night  with  a  gig.  The  fisher 
men  have  a  torch  in  the  boat ;  hence  the  phrase. 

Burr.  The  hazy  c  ile  which  appears  around 
the  moon  before  rain. 

Burrel.  Langrage  shot,  consisting  of  bits  of 
iron,  bullets,  nails,  etc.,  got  together  in  haste  for 
a  sudden  emergency. 

Burrock.  A  small  weir  over  a  river,  where 
weels  are  laid  for  taking  fist. 

Burr-pump.    A  name  foi  the  bilge-pump. 

Burser.     See  PURSER. 

Burster-bag.  A  bag  for  bursting  charge 
of  a  shell. 

Bursting  Charge.  The  ?ce  charge  of  a 
shell  as  distinguished  from  '•lowing  charge. 

In  some  shells  the  bursting  ^  is  inclosed  in 

a  bag  as  a  guard  against  pr  e  explosions. 

Burt.     A  flat  fish  of  the  ttnd. 

Burthen.     See  BURDEN 

Burton.  A  tackle  used 
as,  swaying  aloft  a  topsa: 
etc.  A  top-burton  is  kept  J 
at  the  topmast-head.  It  i 
long  enough  to  permit  the 
ing  part  to  come  down  to 
the  main  top-burton  is  th 
ging  in  a  ship.  See  SPAN 

Burt's  Nippers.     An    ; 


tached  to  a  deep-sea  le 
line  to  run  readily  throi 
descending  ;  but  as  soon 
bottom,  releasing  the  te 
the  surface  of  the  water. 


us  purposes  ; 
ting  a  yard, 
the  pendants 
ckle,  and  is 
k  and  haul- 
The  fall  of 
>iece  of  rig- 
tf. 

-netimes  at- 
allows  the 
,he  lead  is 
trikes  the 
&  "ne  at 


BUSH 


99 


BY-WASH 


Bush.  A  perforated  piece  of  metal  let  into 
certain  parts  of  machinery  to  receive  the  wear 
of  pivots,  journals,  etc.  Any  similar  lining  of 
a  hole  with  metal ;  as^  the  vent  of  a  gun.  The 
bush  or  bushing  of  the  vent  of  a  gun  is  made  of 
pure  copper ;  the  outer  orifice  is  faced  with  steel, 
and  the  inner  orifice,  in  heavy  guns,  is  lined 
with  platinum. 

Bushing.    See  BUSH. 

Bush-metal.     An  alloy  of  copper  and  tin. 

Bushnell,  David,  of  Connecticut,  was  the  first 
to  show  practically  that  a  charge  of  gunpowder 
could  be  fired  under  water,  and  is  therefore  en 
titled  to  the  credit  of  inventing  torpedoes  or  sub 
marine  mines  (1775). 

Busking.  Piratical  cruising.  Beating  to 
windward  along  a  coast,  or  cruising  oiF  and  on. 

Buss.  A  small  strong-built  Dutch  vessel 
with  two  masts,  used  in  the  herring  and  mack 
erel  fisheries,  generally  of  50  to  70  tons  burden. 

Bust-head.    See  FIGURE-HEAD. 

Busy  as  the  Devil  in  a  Gale  of  Wind.  Fid 
gety  restlessness,  or  double  diligence  in  a  bad 
cause ;  the  imp  being  supposed  to  be  mischievous 
in  hard  gales. 

But.     A  conical  basket  for  catching  fish. 

Butcher's  Bill.  A  nickname  for  the  official 
return  of  killed  and  wounded  which  follows  an 
action. 

Butescarli.  The  early  name  for  the  sea-officers 
in  the  British  navy. 

Butt.  A  wine  measure  of  126  gallons.  The 
large  end  of  the  stock  of  a  fire-arm.  A  target ; 
hence  a  person  at  whom  are  leveled  the  shafts  of 
sarcasm  or  ridicule.  The  joining  of  two  timbers 
or  planks  endways  ;  also  the  ends  of  the  timbers 
or  planks  so  joined.  The  largest  end  of  any  tim 
ber  or  plank.  To  start  or  spring  a  butt  is  to 
loosen  the  end  of  a  plank  by  the  laboring  of  the 
ship. 

Butt-and-butt.  A  term  denoting  that  the  butt 
ends  of  two  timbers  meet  but  do  not  overlap. 

Butter-box.  A  name  given  to  the  brig-traders 
of  lumpy  form,  from  London,  Bristol,  and  other 
English  ports.  A  cant  term  for  a  Dutchman. 


Butter-bump.     A  name  of  the  bittern. 

Butter-fingered.  Having  a  careless  habit  of 
allowing  things  to  slip  through  the  fingers. 

Buttock.  The  after-part  of  the  ship  on  each 
side  below  the  knuckle.  A  ship  is  said  to  have 
a  broad  or  narrow  buttock  according  to  her  tran 
som  convexity  under  the  stern. 

BUTTOCK-LINES.  Represented  on  the  sheer 
draught  as  curve  lines  cutting  the  ship  into  ver 
tical  longitudinal  sections  parallel  to  the  centre 
line. 

Button.  The  knob  of  metal  which  terminated, 
the  breech-end  of  old  guns,  and  which  afforded  a 
convenient  bearing  for  the  application  of  hand 
spikes,  breechings,  etc. 

Buttons,  To  Make.  A  common  time-honored, 
but  strange  expression  for  sudden  apprehension 
or  misgiving. 

Butt- shaft,  or  Butt-bolt.  An  arrow  without 
a  barb,  used  for  shooting  at  a  butt. 

By.  Being,  or  passing,  near.  By  the  wind,  as 
near  the  wind  as  possible.  Full  and  by,  rap- 
full,  but  close  to  the  wind.  By  and  large,  to  the 
wind  and  off  it.  Stand  by  !  Be  prepared.  By 
the  board,  over  the  ship's  side  ;  a  mast  carried 
away  near  the  deck  is  said  to  go  by  the  board. 
A  ship  is  doiun  by  the  head  (or  stern)  when  she 
draws  more  water  forward  (or  aft)  than  she  does 
when  she  is  in  her  proper  trim. 

Bykat.  A  term  for  a  male  salmon  of  a  certain 
age,  because  of  the  beak  which  then  grows  on  its 
under-jaw. 

Byllis.     An  old  spelling  for  bill. 

Byrth.     The  old  expression  for  tonnage. 

Byssa.  An  ancient  gun  for  discharging  stones 
at  the  enemy. 

Byssus.  The  silken  filaments  of  any  of  the 
bivalved  mollusks  which  adhere  to  rocks,  as  the 
Pinna,  Mytilus,  etc.  The  silken  byssus  of  the 
great  pinna,  or  wing-shell,  is  woven  into  dresses. 
In  the  Chama  gigas  it  will  sustain  1000  pounds. 
Also,  the  woolly  substance  found  in  damp  parts 
of  a  ship. 

By-wash.  The  outlet  of  water  from  a  dam 
or  discharge  channel. 


100 


CABLE 


C. 


C.  Abbreviation  for  can  in  the  TJ.  S.  General 
Service  Signal  Code.  Among  the  letters  used  in 
the  log-book  to  register  the  state  of  the  weather 
c  denotes  cloudy. 

Caaing  Whale  (Globicephalus  deductor).  A 
cetacean  belonging  to  the  genus  Delphinus,  but 
differing  from  the  other  Delphinidce  in  having 
the  phalanges  more  numerous  and  the  limbs 
lower  and  more  approximated  in  position.  It 
resembles  the  common  porpoise  in  general  form, 
but  is  much  larger,  measuring  from  16  to  24  feet 
in  length,  and  rather  more  than  10  feet  in  cir 
cumference  at  its  thickest  part,  which  is  at  the 
root  of  the  dorsal  fin,  whence  the  body  tapers 
towards  the  tail,  which  is  deeply  forked.  In 
color  it  is  black,  with  a  white  streak  on  the 
under  side.  Its  pectoral  fins  are  long  and  nar 
row.  Its  vertebrae  number  55.  It  is  very 
gregarious,  and  is  found  on  the  coasts  of  Great 
Britain,  North  America,  and  Iceland,  while 
other  species  of  the  same  genus  exist  in  the 
South  Seas  and  the  North  Pacific.  It  is  most 
frequently  taken  on  the  Scottish  coast,  whence 
also  it  derives  its  name,  the  word  "caaing" 
being  Scotch  for  "driving."  The  animal  is  so 
called  from  the  fact  that  owing  to  its  sheep-like 
propensity  to  follow  its  leader,  the  fishermen, 
having  hemmed  in  a  herd  between  their  boats 
and  the  shore,  are  enabled  to  drive  the  whole 
herd  into  shallow  water,  where,  becoming 
stranded,  they  fall  an  easy  prey,  and  form  a 
rich  booty  to  their  pursuers. 

Cabane.  A  flat-bottomed  passage-boat  of  the 
Loire. 

Cabin.  In  passenger  steamers  the  cabin  is  a 
large  apartment  which  is  occupied  by  the  better 
class  of  passengers.  In  it  are  the  state-rooms  or 
private  rooms  of  the  passengers,  and  the  space 
between  the  rows  of  state-rooms  is  the  saloon, 
which  is  for  the  accommodation  of  the  passengers 
in  general,  and  is  frequently  used  as  a  dining- 
room.  In  large  vessels  there  are  two  or  three 
cabins,  in  which  case  they  are  occupied,  respec 
tively,  by  the  first-,  second-,  and  third-class  pas 
sengers.  In  an  ordinary  merchant  vessel  the 
cabin  is  the  apartment  occupied  by  the  master 
of  the  vessel. 

In  a  man-of-war  the  cabin  is  the  apartment 
occupied  by  the  cabin-officers.  Cabin-officers 
are  the  commanding  officer  and  other  line-officers 
of  and  above  the  grade  of  commander,  whether 
they  are  on  duty  or  attached  to  the  ship  as  pas 
sengers.  In  large  vessels  there  are  two  cabins, 
one  on  the  main  deck  and  one  on  the  upper  deck. 
The  cabin  is  frequently  divided  into  compart 
ments  by  light  bulkheads,  and  two  or  more 
state-rooms  are  formed  in  the  same  manner. 
"When  there  is  a  flag-officer  on  duty  on  board  a 
vessel  having  two  cabins,  he  selects  one  for  his 
own  use  and  the  commanding  officer  occupies 
the  other;  when  there  is  but  one  cabin,  the 


commanding  officer  is  entitled  to  one-third  of 
the  space,  divided  off  by  a  fore-and-aft  bulk 
head. 

CABIN-BOY.  A  boy  whose  duty  it  is  to  wait 
on  the  officers  and  passengers  in  the  cabin. 

CABIN-LECTURE.  A  severe  but  private  repri 
mand.  See  JOBATION. 

Cable.  A  large  strong  chain,  or  rope  made 
of  hemp,  manilla,  or  coir,  used  to  retain  a  ship 
in  place  when  at  anchor.  Rope  for  cables  is 
cable-laid,  to  render  it  impervious  to  water,  but 
the  additional  twist  given  in  laying  it  up  de 
tracts  from  the  strength,  the  cable-laid  being 
30  per  cent,  weaker  than  plain-laid  rope  of 
equal  size.  Cables  vary  in  size  from  10  to  26 
inches.  Eope-cable  has  been  superseded  by 
chain. 

Chain  for  cables  for  the  navy  is  manufactured 
at  the  Washington  navy-yard  The  utmost  care 
is  taken  to  procure  good  iron  ;  each  bar  is  tested, 
and  the  links  are  carefully  welded.  A  cast-iron 
stud  is  inserted  in  each  link,  except  those  at  the 
ends  of  the  sections ;  the  object  of  the  stud  is  to 
strengthen  the  chain  and  keep  it  from  kinking. 

Chain-cables  are  120  fathoms  long,  a  shackle 
being  introduced  at  each  section  of  15  fathoms, 
and  a  swivel  at  ?£,  STj,  and  82  J  fathoms.  The 
object  of  the  swivel  is  to  keep  the  chain  from 
getting  full  of  turns. 

Chain-cables  are  marked  at  the  shop  in  the  fol 
lowing  manner :  each  shackle  is  marked  across 
the  eye  with  its  number ;  the  swivels  and  club- 
link  are  marked  with  the  number  of  the  chain, 
the  date,  place  of  manufacture,  and  the  initials 
of  the  inspector. 

On  the  stud  are  cast  the  initials  U.  S.  and 
"W.  N.  Y.,  and  also  the  size  of  the  chain  in 
figures. 


Table  for  Proof  of  Cables. 


Size 
Cab! 
2i4in 

$ 

1% 
1% 

>1 

7 

P 

of                                 Pounds  Strain 
e.                                   Single  Proof, 
ch                                       147  800 

134  400 

117,600 
1(X)  800 

87  800 

78000 

66  600 

56,000 

44800 

34,600 

26800 

Double  Proof 

for  Triplets. 

295,600 

268,800 

235,200 

201,600 

175,600 

156,000 

133,200 

112,000 

89,600 

69,200 

53,600 


Chain-cables  differing  1-16  inch  in  size  are  not  manufactured 
now. 

The  triplets  are  cut  from  the  chain  to  be  issued,  and  are 
tested  to  destruction,  but  must  stand  the  double  proof  before 
breaking. 

Cables  issued  to  the  service  are  pulled  to  single  proof  only. 

After  the  cable  has  stood  the  required  test 
given  in  the  proof-table,  it  is  examined  by  an 
expert,  to  see  if  there  are  any  defects  in  the 
welding. 

A  shot  of  cable,  two  cables  spliced  together. 


GABON 


101 


CABRAL 


To  pay  out  or  veer  cable,  to  let  more  cable  run 
out  of  the  hawse-hole.  To  bitt  the  cable,  to  take  a 
turn  with  the  cable  around  the  bitts.  To  stopper 
the  cable,  to  secure  it  by  means  of  pieces  of  ropes, 
called  stoppers,  attached  to  the  deck  or  bitt  (See 
STOPPER.)  To  buoy  the  cable,  to  attach  buoys  to 
the  bight  of  the  cable  to  keep  it  clear  of  the 
ground.  To  coil  a  cable,  to  lay  it  in  fakes  and 
tiers.  To  bend  ti  cable,  to  clinch  or  shackle  it  to 
the  ring  of  the  anchor.  To  range  a  cable,  to  lay 
it  along  the  deck  in  parallel  lines.  To  slip  the 
cable,  to  let  go  the  inboard  end  and  allow  it  all 
to  run  out.  Cable  enough !  the  cry  from  the  fore 
castle  when  sufficient  cable  has  been  veered  to 
allow  the  anchor  to  be  catted. 

CABLE-BENDS.  Two  small  ropes  for  lashing 
the  end  of  a  cable  to  its  own  part,  in  order  to 
secure  the  clinch,  by  which  it  is  made  fast  to  the 
anchor. 

CABLE,  BOWER-.  The  cable  belonging  to  a 
bower-anchor. 

CABLE-BUOY.  A  cask  used  to  buoy  up  the 
bight  of  a  cable. 

CABLE,  ELECTRICAL.  An  insulated  wire  or 
combination  of  wires  used  in  telegraphy  or  in 
firing  mines.  The  essential  qualities  are  strength, 
pliability,  and  high  insulation.  The  substances 
generally  used  for  insulating  a  cable  are  gutta- 
percha,  india-rubber,  and  Hooper's  material ; 
the  latter  is  considered  to  be  the  best.  To  pro 
tect  the  insulating  material  from  chafe  over 
rocks,  cables  are  generally  provided  with  an 
external  metallic  covering. 

CABLE-LAID  ROPE.  Three  plain-laid  ropes 
laid  up  into  one  rope,  thus  forming  a  nine- 
stranded  left-handed  rope. 

CABLE,  SHEET-.  The  cable  belonging  to  the 
sheet-anchor. 

CABLE'S  LENGTH.  One-tenth  of  a  sea-mile, 
about  100  fathoms. 

CABLE-STAGE.  A  platform  in  the  hold  on. 
which  are  coiled  the  cables  and  hawsers. 

CABLE,  STREAM-.  A  hawser  or  large  rope 
used  with  a  stream-anchor. 

CABLET.  A  cable-laid  rope  of  less  than  10 
inches  in  circumference  ;  a  hawser. 

CABLE-TIER.  The  place  where  cables  and 
hawsers  are  stowed. 

Gabon.     An  old  word  for  a  nipper. 

Caboose,  or  Camboose.  The  cook-room  or 
kitchen  of  merchantmen,  on  deck  ;  a  diminutive 
substitute  for  the  galley  of  a  man-of-war ;  the 
term  is  sometimes  applied  to  a  portable  cast-iron 
stove  used  in  coasting-vessels  for  cooking  on 
deck. 

Cabot,  John.     See  CABOTO,  GIOVANNI. 

Cabot,  Sebastian.  One  of  the  sons  of  Gio 
vanni.  He  survived  his  father  and  brothers,  and 
earned  a  high  reputation  as  an  explorer.  Born 
at  Bristol,  England  claims  him  as  one  of  her 
sons.  After  the  death  of  Henry  VII.  he  entered 
the  service  of  Spain,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  the  Indies.  In  the  reign  of  Henry 
VIII.  he  commanded  an  expedition  in  search  of 
the  Northwest  passage,  "  the  dream  of  all  the 
greatest  navigators  since  the  close  of  the  fifteenth 
century."  The  object  of  the  expedition  was  de 
feated  by  the  pusillanimity  of  Admiral  Pert. 
Cabot,  however,  turned  the  frustrated  mission 
to  account  by  observing  the  dip  of  the  needle  and 
the  variation  of  the  compass  in  those  regions, 
and  by  forming  plans  for  the  accurate  deter 


mination  of  the  longitude.  In  1520,  Cabot  left 
the  service  of  the  king  of  England,  and  accepted 
the  grade  of  pilot-major  under  the  government 
of  Charles  V.  of  Spain.  By  that  monarch  he 
was  appointed  captain-general  of  an  expedition 
to  Cape  Horn  and  the  Pacific  shores  of  South 
America ;  but  through  the  jealousy  of  his  sub 
ordinates  his  operations  were  confined  to  the  Rio 
de  la  Plata  and  its  tributary  streams.  With 
drawing  from  the  Spanish  service  in  1548,  he 
once  more  settled  in  Bristol,  and  Edward  VI.  of 
England  employed  him  in  a  capacity  correspond 
ing  with  that  of  a  first  lord  of  the  Admiralty. 
As  superintendent  of  the  shipping  and  foreign 
commerce  of  England,  Cabot  destroyed  the 
monopoly  of  a  grasping  company,  and  improved 
the  public  revenues  by  encouraging  the  princi 
ples  of  free  trade.  He  then  founded  a  Society  of 
Merchant  Adventurers,  and  in  that  capacity  sent 
out  ships  with  keels  of  lead  as  a  precaution 
against  the  worm.  Some  years  later  he  closed  a 
useful  life,  and  was  posthumously  panegyrized 
as  the  most  scientific  seaman  of  the  age,  and  one 
of  the  gentlest,  bravest,  and  best  of  men,  who 
gave  to  Britain  not  only  a  large  continent  but 
the  untold  riches  of  the  deep  in  the  fisheries  of 
Newfoundland  and  the  Arctic  Sea.  He  was,  in 
fact,  the  father  of  free  trade. 

Cabotage  (ItaL).  Sailing  from  cape  to  cape 
along  a  coast,  or  the  details  of  coast  pilotage. 

Caboto,  or  Kaboto,  Giovanni  (JoiiN  CABOT), 
obtained  a  patent  from  Henry  VII.,  King  of 
England,  empowering  him  and  his  three  sons  to 
sail  into  the  eastern,  western,  or  northern  seas, 
with  a  fleet  of  five  ships,  at  their  own  expense, 
to  search  for  islands,  countries,  provinces,  or 
regions  not  before  seen  by  Christian  people ;  to 
float  the  English  flag  on  any  city,  island,  or 
continent  that  they  might  find,  and,  as  vassals 
of  the  English  crown,  to  possess  and  occupy  the 
territories  so  discovered.  The  expedition  sailed 
from  Bristol,  May,  1497,  and  the  Cabots  sighted 
Labrador.  In  the  following  year  they  made  a 
second  voyage,  and  got  as  far  as  Maryland, 
having  previously  discovered  Newfoundland. 
In  1499  they  made  a  third  voyage,  extending  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  See  SEBASTIAN  CABOT. 

Cabral,  or  Cabrera,  Pedro  Alvarez,  the  dis 
coverer  of  Brazil,  was  descended  from  an  old 
and  patrician  Portuguese  family.  Nothing  is 
known  of  his  early  life  save  the  fact  that  he 
must  have  recommended  himself  by  talent  and 
enterprise  to  King  Emanuel,  of  Portugal,  who, 
after  the. first  voyage  of  Vasco  de  Gama,  ap 
pointed  Cabral  to  the  command  of  a  fleet  of  13 
vessels,  carrying  1200  men,  and  bound  for  the 
East  Indies.  On  the  9th  of  March,  1500,  he 
sailed  from  Lisbon.  To  avoid  the  inconvenience 
of  being  becalmed  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  he  took 
a  course  too  far  westerly,  fell  into  the  South 
American  current  of  the  Atlantic,  and  was  car 
ried  to  the  unknown  coast  of  Brazil,  of  which 
he  claimed  possession  for  the  king  of  Portugal, 
April  24,  1500,  naming  the  new  country  "  Terra 
da  Santa  Cruz."  After  sending  home  one  ves 
sel  to  bear  news  of  this  great  accidental  dis 
covery,  Cabral  sailed  for  India ;  but  on  the  29th 
of  May  four  of  his  vessels  foundered,  and  all  on 
board  perished,  including  Diaz,  the  great  navi 
gator  ;  and  soon  afterwards  three  more  vessels 
were  lost.  Cabral  therefore'  landed  at  Mozam 
bique,  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  of  which  he 


CABURN 


102 


CACHOLOT 


first  gave  clear  information,  and  also  discovered 
(August  23)  the  Antschedives  Islands,  of  which 
he  described  correctly  the  position.  Hence  he 
sailed  to  Calicut,  where,  having  made  the  terror 
of  his  arms  felt,  he  was  permitted  to  found  a  fac 
tory  ;  entered  into  successful  negotiations  with 
native  rulers,  and  thus  established  the  first  com 
mercial  treaty  between  Portugal  and  India.  He 
returned  from  India,  bringing  with  him  a  con 
siderable  booty,  and  arrived  in  the  port  of  Lis 
bon  July  31,  1501.  It  appears  probable  that  the 
king  was  dissatisfied  with  the  results  of  the  ex 
pedition  (although  it  had  annexed  Brazil  to  the 
crown  of  Portugal),  for  subsequently  we  find  no 
mention  made  of  Cabral  among  other  discoverers. 
At  the  request  of  Cabral,  Sancho  de  Toar  wrote 
a  description  of  the  coast  of  Sofola.  Cabral's 
voyages  are  described  in  Ramusio's  "  Naviga- 
tione  e  Viaggi,"  3vols.  (Venice,  1563;  newed., 
Venice,  1835.) 

Caburn.  A  small  line  made  of  spun-yarn,  for 
worming  cables,  seizings,  and  the  like. 

Cacao  (Sp.).  The  plant  Theobroma,  from 
which  cocoa  is  derived. 

Cache  (Fr.,  a  place  of  concealment).  Ex 
plorers  and  other  travelers  in  waste  regions  wish 
ing  either  to  disencumber  themselves  of  a  portion 
of  their  impedimenta,  or  to  establish  magazines 
for  use  on  their  return  journey,  frequently  bury 
in  the  ground  provisions  and  articles  of  equip 
ment.  The  place  of  such  a  deposit  is  termed  a 
cache,  and  the  process  of  making  it,  cacheing. 

Cacholot,  Spermaceti,  or  Sperm  Whale  (Phy- 
seter  macrocephalus,  or  Cntodon  macrocephalus}. 
One  of  the  largest  of  the  Cetacea  (which  see),  and 
of  very  peculiar  form.  Unlike  the  right  whale, 
it  affords  no  whalebone,  but  is  much  sought 
after,  not  only  on  account  of  the  oil,  but  still 
more  for  the  spermaceti  and  ambergris  which  it 
yields.  It  is  widely  distributed  geographically  and 
inhabits  nearly  all  seas,  but  is  most  abundant  in 
those  of  the  southern  hemisphere.  It  sometimes 
attains  the  length  of  70  or  80  feet.  The  general 
color  is  very  dark  gray,  nearly  black  on  the  up 
per  parts  but  lighter  beneath.  Old  males,  or,  as 
the  South-Sea  whalers  call  them,  old  bull-whales, 
usually  have  a  large  gray  spot  on  the  front  of 
the  head.  The  head  is  enormously  large,  form 
ing  about  one-half  of  the  entire  bulk  of  the 
animal,  and  taking  up  more  than  one-third  of 
the  whole  length.  From  the  head  the  body 
tapers  to  the  tail,  and  at  last  rather  rapidly. 
The  muzzle  is  very  obtuse,  almost  as  if  suddenly 
cut  off  in  front,  the  breadth  of  it  almost  equaling 
the  thickness  of  the  body.  In  a  protuberance 
on  the  upper  part  of  it  is  the  blow-hole,  which 
is  single,  situated  a  little  on  the  left  side,  and  in 
form  not  unlike  the  letter  S  elongated.  The 
mouth  is  very  wide,  and  the  throat,  unlike  that 
of  the  Greenland  whale,  is  sufficiently  capacious 
to  admit  the  whole  body  of  a  man.  *The  upper 
jaw  projects  some  feet  beyond  the  lower,  and  has 
neither  teeth  nor  whalebone  ;  but  the  lower  jaw 
contains  twenty  or  twenty-five  teeth  on  each  s'ide, 
according  to  the  age  of  the  animal.  The  teeth, 
which  are  conical  and  slightly  recurved,  project 
about  two  inches  from  the  gum.  The  lower  jaw 
is  very  narrow,  its  two  branches  being  for  most 
of  their  length  in  contact ;  it  fits  into  a  groove 
in  the  upper  jaw,  in  which  are  cavities  for  the 
teeth.  The  eyes  are  small  and  placed  far  back 
in  the  head  above  the  angles  of  the  mouth  ;  the 


left  eye  is  said  to  be  smaller  than  the  right. 
Just  above  the  eyes  the  dorsal  line  rises  con 
siderably  ;  the  dorsal  fin  is  also  represented  by  a 
protuberance  about  half-way  between  the  neck 
and  tail,  and  these  parts  are  seen  above  water  in 
the  ordinary  swimming  of  the  animal,  which  is 
at  the  rate  of  from  3  to  7  miles  an  hour  and  just 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  water,  although  when 
alarmed  it  swims  more  swiftly  and  strikes  the 
water  with  its  tail  upward  and  downward  with 
great  force.  The  pectoral  fins  are  small,  and 
seem  scarcely,  if  at  all,  to  aid  in  progression, 
which  is  accomplished  by  the  large  and  powerful 
tail-fin.  The  tail-fin  is  very  broad  and  is  divided 
into  two  lobes,  called  by  the  South-Sea  whalers 
the  flukes.  The  head  of  the  cacholot  is  in  great 
part  occupied  by  a  cavity  in  front  of  and  above 
the  skull,  called  by  whalers  the  case,  which  is  a 
receptacle  for  spermaceti  (which  see).  This  sub 
stance  being  light,  the  animal  in  swimming 
raises  its  head  above  the  surface  of  the  water, 
which  it  also  does  when  at  rest.  The  case  fre 
quently  holds  not  less  than  ten  large  barrels  of 
spermaceti.  It  is  not  formed  of  bone,  but  of  a 
strong  tendinous  integument,  and  is  divided  into 
compartments  which  communicate  with  each 
other.  The  substance  which  it  contains  is  in  a 
semi-fluid  state,  but  hardens  on  cooling  ;  it  con 
sists  of  spermaceti  and  oil.  The  oil  is  separated 
by  drawing  and  squeezing,  and  the  spermaceti 
further  purified  till,  instead  of  being  a  yellow, 
unctuous  mass, — the  state  in  which  it  is  brought 
home  by  the  whalers, — it  assumes  a  beautiful 
pearly  white,  flaky,  nearly  crystalline  appearance. 
When  the  spermaceti  whale  is  killed  and  towed 
alongside  the  whaling-ship,  the  case  is  emptied 
of  its  valuable  contents  through  a  hole  made 
in  front  of  the  muzzle,  and  by  means  of  a  basket 
attached  to  a  pole.  The  spermaceti  used  to  be 
considered  the  brain  of  the  whale  ;  what  purpose 
it  serves  is  not  known,  except  that  already  alluded 
to  of  giving  buoyancy  to  the  fore  part  of  the  ani 
mal,  and  perhaps  this  is  its  chief  use,  respiration 
even  more  than  progression  depending  on  it.  It 
is  distinct  enough  from  the  brain,  which,  as  well 
as  the  skull  that  contains  it,  is  very  small  com 
pared  with  the  bulk  of  the  creature.  Cavities 
filled  with  spermaceti  are  distributed  over  the 
body,  and  even  ramify  through  the  external  fat 
or  blubber,  although  the  principal  mass  is  in  the 
head.  The  blubber  of  the  cacholot  is  not  nearly 
as  thick  as  that  of  the  Greenland  whale,  being 
only  about  14  inches  in  thickness  on  the  breast 
of  a  large  whale,  and  from  8  to  11  inches  on 
other  parts  of  the  body.  It  is  called  by  whalers 
the  blanket,  is  removed  from  the  captured  whale 
in  great  strips,  and  is  heated  in  large  pots,  the 
skin  of  the  whale  serving  for  fuel,  when  the  oil — 
known  as  sperm  oil  (which  see) — flows  from  it. 
The  junk,  a  thick  elastic  mass,  which  occupies  the 
forepart  of  the  head  immediately  under  the  case, 
yields  also  a  considerable  quantity  of  sperm  oil. 
The  cacholot  feeds  principally  upon  squids  and 
cuttle-fish.  It  goes  in  herds,  which  are  called 
schools  by  the  sailors.  Large  herds  consist  gen 
erally  of  females  with  only  a  few  males  ;  herds 
of  young  males  also  occur.  When  solitary  in 
dividuals  are  met  with,  they  are  almost  always 
old  males.  Terrible  conflicts  often  take  place 
among  the  males,  and  it  is  not  unusual  to  find 
the  lower  jaw  dislocated  or  broken  as  a  result  of 
these  encounters. 


CADE 


103 


CALCUTTA 


Cade.  A  small  barrel  of  about  500  herrings 
or  1000  sprats. 

Cadence.  The  regularity  requisite  in  pull 
ing.  A  uniform  time  and  pace  in  marching  in 
dispensable  to  the  correct  movements  of  troops. 

Cadet.  A  French  word  signifying  younger, 
junior.  This  term  is  also  applied'in  France  and 
other  countries  to  a  student  in  the  art  of  war  and 
military  science. 

CADET  ENGINEER.  The  lowest  grade  of  the 
engineer  corps  in  the  U.  S.  navy ;  so  called 
during  their  state  of  pupilage  at  the  Naval 
Academy  and  up  to  the  time  of  their  promotion 
to  assistant  engineer. 

CADET  MIDSHIPMAN.  The  lowest  grade  of 
line-officers  in  the  U.  S.  navy ;  so  called  while 
pupils  at  the  Naval  Academy  and  during  a  pro 
bationary  period  of  sea  service,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  they  are  promoted  to  midshipman.  See 
ACADEMIES,  NAVAL. 

Cadge.  To  carry.  Kedge  may  be  a  corrup 
tion. 

Cadiz.  A  city  and  seaport  of  Spain,  capital 
of  the  province  of  Cadiz,  on  the  island  of  Leon, 
off  the  S.W.  coast  of  Andalusia,  60  miles  N.W. 
of  Gibraltar,  and  64  miles  S.  of  Seville.  Lat. 
36°  32'  N. ;  Ion.  6°  17'  15"  W.  It  stands  on  a 
narrow  tongue  of  land,  which  projects  about  5 
miles  N.N.W.  into  the  sea  ;  it  is  surrounded  on 
three  sides  by  water,  and  is  strongly  defended 
both  by  nature  and  by  art.  The  entrance  to  its 
capacious  bay  is  commanded  by  forts,  while  on 
the  other  sides  large  vessels  cannot  approach 
within  three-fourths  of  a  mile  of  the  city.  One 
of  the  most  conspicuous  objects  in  Cadiz  is 
the  light-house  of  San  Sebastian,  172  feet  in 
height.  The  bay,  which  is  formed  by  the  penin 
sula  and  the  mainland,  is  spacious,  and  affords 
good  anchorage.  La  Caraca,  the  royal  dock 
yard,  is  situated  at  the  bottom  of  the  inner  bay, 
about  6  miles  from  the  city,  and  is  defended  by 
the  cross-fire  of  two  forts.  It  contains  3  spacious 
basins,  and  12  docks  or  slips.  The  trade  of  Cadiz 
is  less  extensive  than  formerly.  The  chief  arti 
cle  of  export  is  sherry  wine.  Salt  is  another 
article  of  export.  The  chief  imports  are  staves, 
tobacco,  hides,  cacao,  indigo,  cochineal,  dye- 
woods,  sugar,  codfish,  and  coals.  Pop.  58,000. 

Caelum.    See  CONSTELLATION. 

Caffila.     See  KAFILA. 

Cag.     See  CARRY. 

Cage.  An  iron  cage,  formed  of  hoops,  on  the 
top  of  a  pole,  and  filled  with  combustibles.  It  is 
lighted  before  high  water,  and  marks  a  channel, 
navigable  for  the  period  during  which  it  burns. 

Cage-work.  An  old  term  for  a  ship's  upper 
works. 

Caique,  or  Kaique.  A  small  Levantine  ves 
sel.  Also,  a  graceful  skiff,  seen  in  perfection  at 
Constantinople,  where  it  almost  monopolizes  the 
boat  traffic.  It  is  fast  but  crank,  being  so  nar 
row  that  the  oars  or  sculls  have  their  looms  en 
larged  into  ball-shaped  masses  to  counterbalance 
their  outboard  length.  It  has  borne  for  ages  the 
wave-line,  which,  upon  its  introduction  into  our 
marine  architecture  a  few  years  ago,  was  esteemed 
a  novelty.  It  may  have  from  one  to  ten  or  twelve 
rowers. 

Cairban.  A  name  in  the  Hebrides  for  the 
basking-shark. 

Cairn.  A  pile  of  stones  used  as  a  mark  in 
surveying. 


Caisson.  A  boat-gate,  having  generally  both 
ends  similar  in  form  to  the  bows  of  a  vessel,  used 
to  close  the  entrance  to  a  dock  or  basin.  An  ap 
paratus  for  lifting  a  vessel  out  of  the  water  for 
repairs  or  inspection.  It  is  usually  a  hollow 
structure  sunk  by  letting  water  into  it.  There 
is  an  air-chamber  inside,  which  allows  it  to  sink 
only  a  certain  depth.  In  that  state  it  is  hauled 
under  the  ship's  bottom,  the  traps  or  openings 
are  closed,  the  water  is  pumped  out,  and  the 
caisson  rises  with  the  ship  upon  it.  In  another 
arrangement,  a  platform  is  sunk  to  a  certain 
depth  in  the  water,  and  is  suspended  by  iron 
screws  from  a  strong  wooden  framework;  the 
ship  is  floated  upon  the  platform,  steadied  by 
shores,  and  lifted  high  and  dry  by  means  of 
levers,  wheels,  pinions,  and  screws.  In  military 
matters,  an  ammunition-chest  and  the  wagon  on 
which  it  is  carried.  The  term  is  also  applied  to 
a  chest  loaded  with  explosives  and  buried  deep 
in  the  ground  under  a  fortification  for  the  pur 
pose  of  being  blown  up  if  the  enemy  approach 
and  take  possession  of  that  particular  part  of  the 
work. 

Calais.  A  town  of  France,  department  of 
Pas-de-Calais,  on  the  Strait  of  Dover,  26  miles 
E.S.E.  of  Dover,  and  20  miles  N.E.  of  Boulogne. 
Lat.  of  the  new  light-house,  50°  57'  45"  N. ; 
Ion.  1°  51'  18"  E. ;  height,  192  feet.  The  tower 
and  harbor  are  defended  by  a  castle  and  several 
forts,  and  by  means  of  sluices  the  whole  adjacent 
country  may  be  laid  under  water.  The  harbor 
is  formed  by  two  moles,  which  are  continued 
seaward  by  wooden  piers,  the  whole  being  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  length.  At  ebb-tide  it 
is  nearly  dry ;  has  not  a  greater  depth  than  15 
or  18  feet  at  high  water.  A  tower  in  the  centre 
of  the  town  serves  as  a  light*house.  There  is 
good  anchorage  ground  2  to  3  miles  N.W.  of  the 
harbor.  Pop.  20,000. 

Calais,  a  city  of  Washington  Co.,  Me.,  is 
on  the  St.  Croix  River.  It  is  at  the  head  of 
navigation,  about  12  miles  from  Passamaquoddy 
Bay,  82  miles  E.N.E.  of  Bangor,  and  27  miles 
N.N.W.  of  Eastport.  Pop.  6000. 

Calamary  (calamus,  a  pen).  A  Cephalopod, 
which  derives  its  name  from  the  fact  of  its  body 
containing  a  gladius,  or  internal  shell,  shaped 
like  a  quill,  and  a  bag  in  its  visceral  sac  from 
which  it  diffuses  an  ink-like  fluid.  Its  mouth  is 
furnished  with  eight  arms.  The  different  species 
are  distributed  oVer  all  parts  of  the  world,  but 
are  much  more  abundant  in  some  seas  than  in 
others  ;  they  form  a  principal  part  of  the  food  of 
some  of  the  larger  fishes  and  of  whales.  It  is  the 
Loligo  vulgaris  of  Cuvier. 

Calamine.  An  ore,  consisting  essentially  of 
silicate  of  zinc.  Its  primary  form  is  a  rhomboid, 
and  it  occurs  in  small  obtuse-edged  crystals,  also 
compact  and  massive.  It  is  white,  yellowish 
white,  brown,  green,  or  gray;  is  sometimes 
opaque,  sometimes  translucent,  is  brittle,  and 
has  an  uneven  conchoidal  fracture.  It  occurs 
in  beds  and  veins  in  rocks  of  various  kinds,  but 
most  commonly  in  limestone. 

Calanca.  A  creek  or  cove  on  the  Italian  and 
Spanish  coasts. 

Calcutta,  capital  of  British  India  and  of  Ben 
gal,  is  situated  on  the  E.  bank  of  the  Hoogly 
River,  80  miles  from  the  sea,  in  lat.  22°  33'  47" 
N.,  Ion.  88°  23'  34"  E.,  opposite  the  town  of 
Howrah,  to  which  a  floating-bridge  extends. 


CALENDAK 


104 


CALK 


Calcutta  is  the  largest  emporium  of  trade  in 
Asia,  being  the  natural  outlet  of  the  valleys  of 
the  Ganges  and  Brahmapootra.  The  chief  ex 
ports  are  jute,  opium,  indigo,  rice,  hides,  raw 
silk,  saltpetre,  etc.,  and  the  chief  imports  are 
cotton,  linen,  and  silk  goods,  hardware,  wines, 
spirits,  and  salt.  Pop.  city  proper,"  448,000; 
including  suburbs,  about  900,000. 

Calendar  (Lat.  calendce,  the  first  day  of  each 
month,  from  caldre ;  Gr.  kalein,  to  call,  to 
summon).  The  regulation,  arrangement,  and 
register  of  civil  time.  The  natural  unit  adapted 
to  the  immediate  wants  and  ordinary  occupations 
of  man  is  the  sola?'  day,  or  the  period  elapsed  be 
tween  two  successive  arrivals  of  the  sun  at  a 
given  meridian.  It  varies  in  length  at  different 
seasons  of  the  year ;  but  the  variation  is  socially 
unimportant,  and  the  tacit  adoption  of  its  mean 
value  from  the  earliest  ages  arose  probably  from 
ignorance  that  such  fluctuation  existed.  This 
mean  solar  or  civil  day  is  divided  into  24  hours. 
The  unit  for  longer  duration  again  is  naturally 
the  period  in  which  recur  the  seasons  on  which 
depend  all  the  vital  business  of  life.  It  is  the  in 
terval  between  two  successive  arrivals  of  the  sun 
at  the  vernal  equinox,  and  is  called  the  tropical 
year.  This  period  varies  slightly,  and  is  incom 
mensurate  with  the  lesser  unit,  its  length  being 
about  365  days  5  hours  58  minutes  59.7  seconds. 
Now,  if  the  odd  hours,  minutes,  etc.,  were  to  be 
neglected,  and  the  civil  year  made  to  consist  of 
365  days,  the  seasons  would  soon  cease  to  cor 
respond  to  the  same  months,  and  would  run  the 
round  of  the  whole  year;  this  odd  time  must 
therefore  be  taken  account  of.  But  then,  again, 
it  would  be  very  inconvenient  to  have  the  same 
day  belonging  to  two  different  years.  To  obviate 
this  difficulty,  a  very  neat  contrivance  was  in 
augurated  by  Julius  Caesar.  He  introduced  a 
system  of  two  artificial  years,  one  of  365  and  the 
other  of  366  integer  days  ;  three  consecutive  years 
of  365,  and  then  a  fourth  year  of  366  days.  The 
longer  years  were  called  "bissextile"  or  "leap- 
years,"  and  the  surplus  days  formed  of  the  ac 
cumulated  fractions  and  thrown  into  the  reckon 
ing  were  called  "intercalary"  or  "leap-days." 
This  calendar  made  the  average  length  of  civil 
years  365  days  6  hours,  which  was  only  a  rough 
approximation  to  the  truth,  and  the  error  soon 
accumulated  to  a  whole  day.  A  reformation 
was  effected  by  Pope  Gregory  XIII.  ;  and  his 
law  for  regulating  the  succession  of  the  two  arti 
ficial  years  (of  365  days  and  366  days)  is  such, 
that  during  the  lapse  of  at  least  some  thousands  of 
years  the  sum  of  these  integer-day  years  shall  not 
differ  from  the  same  number  of  real  tropical  years 
by  a  whole  day.  For  the  period  of  10,000  years  the 
average  length  of  the  Gregorian  year  is  365.2425 
days,  which  is  a  very  close  approximation  to  the 
mean  tropical  year,  365.242264  days  (according 
to  Delambre's  tables).  The  Gregorian  rule  is  as 
follows:  The  years  are  denominated  as  years 
current  (not  as  years  elapsed)  from  the  midnight 
between  the  31st  of  December  and  the  1st  of 
January  immediately  subsequent  to  the  birth  of 
Christ,  according  to  the  chronological  determina 
tion  of  that  event  by  Dionysius  Exiguus.  Every 
year  whose  number  is  not  divisible'by  4  without 
remainder  consists  of  365  days  ;  every  year  which 
is  so  divisible,  but  is  not  divisible  by  100,  of  366 
days  ;  every  year  divisible  by  100,  but  not  by 
400,  again  of  365 ;  and  every  year  divisible  by 


400  again  of  366  days.  The  principle  might  be 
applied  further,  and  any  degree  of  approxima 
tion  attained.  In  our  calendar  the  year  is  arbi 
trarily  divided  into  12  unequal  months,  the  in 
tercalary  day  being  placed  at  the  end  of  the 
shortest. 

Calf.  A  word  generally  applied  to  the  young 
of  marine  mammalia,  as  the  whale.  Calf,  in  the 
Arctic  regions,  a  mass  of  floe-ice  breaking  from 
under  a  floe,  which  when  disengaged  rises  with 
violence  to  the  surface  of  the  water;  it  differs 
from  a  tongue,  which  is  the  same  body  kept  fixed 
beneath  the  main  floe.  The  iceberg  is  formed  by 
the  repeated  freezing  of  thawed  snow  running 
down  over  the  slopes,  until  at  length  the  wave 
from  beneath  and  weight  above  causes  it  to 
break  off  and  fall  into  the  sea,  or,  as  termed  in 
Greenland,  to  calve.  Thus,  berg,  is  fresh-water 
ice,  the  work  of  years ;  the  floe,  is  salt  water 
frozen  suddenly  each  winter,  and  dissolving  in 
the  summer. 

Calf,  or  Calva.  A  Norwegian  name,  also  used 
in  the  Hebrides,  for  islets  lying  off  islands,  and 
bearing  a  similar  relation  to  them  in  size  that  a 
calf  does  to  a  cow  ;  as,  the  Calf  at  Mull  and  the 
Calf  of  Man. 

Calfat.  The  old  word  for  calking.  (Calfater, 
Fr.  ;  probably  from  cale,  wedge,  and  faire,  to 
make. )  To  wedge  up  an  opening  with  any  soft 
material,  as  oakum.  (Cala/atear,  Sp.) 

Caliber,  or  Calibre.  The  diameter  of  the  bore 
of  a  gun,  cannon-shot,  or  bullet.  A  ship's  cali 
bre  means  the  known  weight  her  armament  rep 
resents. 

Calipash.  The  upper  shell  of  a  turtle. 
Calipee.  The  under  shell  of  a  turtle. 
Calipers,  or  Caliper  Compasses.  Bow-legged 
compasses  used  to  measure  the  girth  of  timber, 
the  external  diameter  of  masts,  shot,  and  other 
circular  or  cylindrical  substances.  Calipers  of 
the  best  sort  are  made  with  a  scale,  having  dif 
ferent  sets  of  numbers  engraved  on  it,  like  a 
sliding-rule,  for-  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  at 
once  various  relations  depending  on  the  magni 
tude  of  the  diameter  of  the  body  measured. 
Thus,  as  the  weights  of  balls  of  the  same  metal 
are  in  a  constant  ratio  to  the  cubes  of  their  di 
ameters,  the  scale  maybe  so  graduated  and  num 
bered  that  the  observer  may  read  off  either  the 
diameter  in  inches  or  the  weight  in  pounds. 
Other  numbers  having  a  less  immediate  applica 
tion  are  also  frequently  attached ;  for  example, 
the  degrees  of  a  circle,  the  proportions  of  troy 
and  avoirdupois  weight,  tables  of  the  specific 
gravities  and  weights  of  bodies,  etc.  It  is  ob 
vious  that  these  may  be  varied  infinitely  ac 
cording  to  the  purposes  proposed  to  be  accom 
plished.  Also  an  instrument  with  a  sliding  leg 
used  for  measuring  the  packages  constituting 
a  ship's  cargo,  which  is  paid  for  by  its  cubical 
contents. 

Calk.  To  drive  oakum  into  the  seams  between 
the  planks  in  the  sides  and  decks  of  a  vessel,  in 
order  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  water.  The 
seam  is  first  widened  as  much  as  possible,  and 
the  oakum  is  then  forced  in  thread  by  thread. 
The  oakum  is  driven  until  it  forms  a  dense  mass, 
when  the  seam  is  payed  or  coated  over  with  hot 
pitch.  The  first  people  to  make  use  of  pitch  in 
calking  were  the  inhabitants  of  Phaeacia.  Wax 
and  resin  had  been  previously  used,  and  a  kind 
of  unctuous  clay  has  been  made  use  of  for  the 


CALL 


105 


CAMPEACHY 


same  purpose.  In  the  East  a  very  hard  cement, 
known  as  chttnam,  is  used  for  the  seams  of  ves 
sels.  To  calk  also  means  to  sleep  on  deck  with 
clothes  on. 

CALKER.     One  who  calks  and  pays  seams. 

CALKER'S  SEAT.  A  box  slung  to  the  ship's 
side  whereon  a  calker  sits  when  calking.  It 
contains  the  calker's  tools  and  oakum. 

CALKING-BUTT.  The  opening  between  the 
ends  of  planks  when  worked  for  calking. 

CALKING-IRONS.  Peculiar  chisels  used  in 
calking  ;  there  are  several  kinds,  as  the  calking- 
iron,  the  making-iron,  the  rasing-iron,  and  the 
reeming-iron. 

CALKING-MALLET.  The  wooden  mallet  or 
beetle  used  in  driving  the  calking-irons. 

Call.  A  signal  made  by  a  drum,  bugle,  trum 
pet,  or  boatswain's  pipe.  A  peculiar  silver 
whistle  or  pipe  used  by  the  boatswain  and  his 
mates  to  summon  the  men  to  their  stations  and 
to  direct  them  in  their  various  duties.  This  is  done 
by  sounding  various  strains,  each  of  which  is 
a  signal  to  do  a  particular  thing  ;  as,  belay,  veer, 
walk  away,  sweep  down,  etc.  The  act  of  wind 
ing  this  instrument  is  called  piping.  In  early 
times  a  gold  call  and  chain  was  the  badge  of  an 
admiral. 

Calliope.  An  instrument  which  consists  of  a 
series  of  steam-whistles  toned  to  produce  musical 
notes  ;  the  valves  by  which  steam  is  admitted  to 
the  whistles  are  operated  by  keys  arranged  like 
those  of  an  organ.  It  is  sometimes  placed  on 
the  hurricane-deck  of  steamboats  on  the  western 
rivers. 

Call  the  Watch.  The  order  to  turn  out  the 
watch  below  to  relieve  the  watch  on  deck.  See 
WATCH. 

Calm.  A  word  used  to  denote  the  state  of  the 
weather  when  there  is  no  perceptible  wind.  It 
is  characterized  as  being  flat,  dead,  or  stark.  In 
a  calm,  under  canvas,  it  is  customary  to  haul  up 
the  courses,  brail  up  the  trysails,  counter-brace, 
and  wait  for  a  breeze.  When  two  vessels  are 
very  near  each  other  in  a  calm  their  heads 
should  be  kept  in  different  directions,  otherwise 
they  would  collide,  on  account  of  the  attraction 
between  the  two  bodies  and  the  undulating  mo 
tion  of  the  sea,  which  causes  vessels  to  forge 
ahead  even  in  a  calm.  For  the  same  reasons  a 
vessel  becalmed  near  the  land  should  keep  her 
head  to  seaward.  A  heavy  cannonading  will 
sometimes  occasion  a  calm,  and  a  large  fire  will 
cause  a  breeze  to  spring  up,  the  wind  coming  in 
from  all  directions  towards  the  fire. 

CALM  LATITUDES.  The  tract  of  ocean  between 
the  northeast  and  southeast  trade-winds.  Its 
situation  varies  several  degrees,  depending  upon 
the  season  of  the  year.  The  term  is  also  applied 
to  the  calm  belt  on  the  polar  side  of  the  trades. 
(See  HORSE  LATITUDES.)  The  calm  latitudes 
were  almost  as  much  dreaded  by  the  mariner  as 
the  region  of  storms.  During  a  calm  of  many 
weeks  food  and  water  were  likely  to  be  exhausted 
at  a  point  too  far  from  land  for  a  boat  to  reach 
it.  Since  the  introduction  of  steam  and  the  ap 
paratus  for  distilling  water,  the  calm  belts  have 
lost  the  greater  portion  of  their  terrors. 

Calorimeter.  An  instrument  for  measuring 
quantities  of  heat.  It  consists  essentially  of  a 
vessel  containing  a  known  weight  of  some  con 
venient  liquid,  such  as  water  or  mercury  ;  a  ther 
mometer  for  indicating  the  temperature  of  that 


liquid  ;  and,  if  necessary,  an  agitator  for  making 
the  liquid  circulate.  Experiments  are  performed 
by  immersing  in  the  liquid  or  mixing  with  it 
a  known  weight  of  the  substance  to  be  experi 
mented  on,  at  a  known  temperature  different 
from  the  temperature  of  the  liquid,  and  noting 
the  common  temperature  of  the  liquid  and  the 
immersed  substance  when  equilibrium  of  tem 
perature  is  restored,  taking  care  that  all  losses 
of  heat,  and  other  sources  of  error,  are  ascer 
tained  and  accounted  for. 

This  term  is  sometimes,  though  improperly, 
applied  to  the  cross  sectional  area  of  boiler 
tubes. 

Cam,  or  Wiper.  In  mechanism,  a  device 
by  which  any  desired  variety  of  relative  motion 
may  be  obtained.  It  consists  of  either  a  contin 
uously  rotating  or  an  oscillating  body  which,  by 
the  shape  of  its  face  or  edge,  or  by  a  groove  in 
its  side  or  face,  drives  a  sliding  or  turning  piece 
either  with  constantly  varying,  regular,  or  inter 
mittent  motion.  It  is  extensively  used  in  fabri- 
cative  machinery,  such  as  the  printing-press  or 
sewing-machine.  In  steam-engines  it  is  applied 
only  to  valve-gear. 

CAM-SHAFT.     A  shaft  carrying  a  cam. 

CAM-ROLLER.  A  roller  that  acts  on  the  face 
or  in  the  groove  of  a  cam. 

CAM-WHEEL.  A  whegl  driving  or  carrying 
one  or  more  cams,  and  which  may,  by  itself, 
communicate  a  motion  different  from  that  of 
the  cams. 

Cambala.     Marco  Polo's  name  for  Pekin. 

Camber.  In  ship-building,  a  term  for  any 
thing  which  rounds,  but  chiefly  to  express  the 
camber  to  the  ways  for  the  launching  of  a  ship. 

CAMBER-KEELED.  Having  the  keel  arched 
upwards,  but  not  actually  hogged. 

Camboose.     See  CABOOSE. 

Camden.  A  city  and  port  of  entry,  capital 
of  Camden  Co.,  N.  J.,  on  the  Delaware  River, 
opposite  Philadelphia.  Its  river  front  extends 
from  Cooper's  Creek  on  the  north  to  Newton 
Creek  on  the  south.  Cooper's  Creek  is  navigable 
beyond  the  city  limits.  Pop.  37,000. 

Camel.  A  water-tight  structure  placed  be 
neath  a  vessel  in  the  water  to  raise  it.  Camels 
were  invented  by  the  Dutch,  about  1688,  for 
carrying  vessels  into  harbors  where  the  depth 
of  water  would  not  otherwise  permit  them  to 
enter.  They  consisted  of  two  large  water-tight 
boxes  or  half  ships,  built  in  such  a  manner  that 
they  could  be  applied  to  each  side  of  the  hull 
of  a  vessel.  When  about  to  be  used  water  was 
allowed  to  run  into  them,  and  when  they  sank 
to  the  required  depth  they  were  firmly  secured 
to  the  ship's  hull.  The  water  was  then  pumped 
out,  and  the  camel  rose,  bringing  up  the  vessel 
with  it.  The  camels  in  use  in  Holland  are 
upwards  of  100  feet  in  length  and  20  feet  in 
breadth. 

Camels  are  frequently  used  to  raise  sunken 
bodies. 

Cameleopardalis.    See  CONSTELLATION. 

Camfer.     See  CHAMFER. 

Camock.  A  very  early  term  for  crooked 
timber. 

Campeachy.  A  town  of  Mexico,  capital  of 
the  state  of  Campeachy,  on  the  bay  of  the  same 
name,  90  miles  S.S.W.  of  Merida.  .Lat.  19°  50' 
N. ;  Ion.  90°  33'  W.  The  harbor  is  capacious 
but  shallow,  and  vessels  drawing  more  than  6 


CANAICHE 


106 


CANALS 


feet  of  water  are  compelled  to  anchor  3  miles 
from  the  shore.  Notwithstanding  this  disad 
vantage,  vessels  measuring  100  feet  of  keel  are 
built  here.  Pop.  18,500. 

Canaiche,  or  Canash.  An  inner  port,  as  at 
Granada  in  the  West  Indies. 

Canal.  An  artificial  channel  filled  with  water, 
formed  for  the  purposes  of  inland  navigation. 
The  section  of  a  canal  is  usually  a  trapezium, 
of  which  two  sides  are  parallel  and  horizontal 
and  the  other  two  equally  inclined  to  the  hori 
zon.  The  inclination  depends  on  the  nature  of 
the  soil.  It  is  least  in  tenacious  earth  and  great 
est  in  loose  soil ;  but  no  soil  will  maintain  itself 
unless  the  base  of  the  slope  exceeds  its  height  at 
least  in  the  ratio  of  four  to  three.  In  loose  soil 
the  base  requires  to  be  twice  as  great  as  the 
height.  A  canal  is  usually  confined  between  a 
bank  on  one  side  and  a  towing-path  on  the 
other.  The  bed  of  a  canal  must  be  absolutely 
level,  or  have  no  more  slope  than  is  necessary  to 
convey  water  to  replace  that  which  has  been 
wasted.  Hence,  when  a  canal  intersects  a  sloping 
country  in  a  series  of  channels  at  different  levels, 
means  must  be  provided  to  enable  vessels  to  pass 
from  one  level  to  another.  This  is  commonly 
effected  by  means  of  a  lock  (which  see).  See 
CANALS,  INTEROCEANIC. 

CANAL-BOAT.  A  large  boat  generally  decked 
and  towed  by  horses. 

Canals,  Interoceanic.  The  Suez  Canal  is  the 
only  one  completed  or  even  under  construction. 
Those  proposed  and  based  on  surveys  sufficient 
to  establish  their  practicability  are  via  Nicaragua 
and  via  Panama,  to  connect  the  waters  of  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans. 

The  Suez  Canal  is  a  little  over  99  miles  in 
length,  connecting  Port  Said  on  the  Mediter 
ranean  and  Suez  on  the  Red  Sea.  It  follows 
certain  lines  of  depression  known  as  Lakes  Men- 
zaleh,  Ballah,  Timsah,  and  the  Bitter  Lakes, 
which  form  a  length  of  about  60  miles.  These 
parts  required  only  partial  excavation,  leaving  40 
miles  of  canalization  through  full  excavation, 
and  with  a  summit  of  only  60  feet  above  the 
mean  ocean-level. 

The  aggregate  superfice  of  the  lakes  named  is 
near  300  miles.  Lake  Menzaleh  lies  6  miles 
from  Port  Said,  and  Ballah  29  miles.  The  Bitter 
Lakes  are  12  miles  from  Suez :  these  natural 
reservoirs  equalize  tidal  flow  and  confine  any 
rapid  current  between  the  sea  and  the  first  natural 
reservoir.  The  charts  give  6  to  18  inches  tidal 
action  at  Port  Said,  and  5  feet  at  Suez. 

The  excavation  required  to  obtain  a  depth  of 
26  feet  was  75,000,000  cubic  metres,  almost 
wholly  in  loose  sand  and  clay.  The  estimated 
cost  was  162,000,000  francs,  and  to  meet  all  sup 
posed  possible  contingencies  200,000,000  was 
named.  The  actual  capital  and  indebtedness, 
January  1,  1879,  was  very  nearly  524,000,000 
francs.  The  draft  of  vessel  allowed  is  25  feet ; 
the  rates  of  toll  established  are  10  francs  for  each 
passenger,  and  10  francs  per  ton  on  measure 
ments  designed  to  represent  the  net  tonnage,  to 
which  are  added  pilotage,  towage,  and  "other 
charges,  usually  increasing  the  cost  of  transit  10 
per  cent. 

In  1877,  1663  vessels,  of  an  average  of  2055 
tons,  passed  through ;  in  1879,  1477  vessels,  of 
an  average  tonnage  of  2190;  in  1878,  1593  ves 
sels  passed,  of  which  25  were  sailers.  The  de 


crease  of  tonnage  between  the  years  named  will 
be  observed. 

In  the  Red  Sea  and  the  upper  Mediterranean 
heavy  short  blows  are  frequent  during  the  winter, 
and  calms  prevail  in  the  summer.  As  a  result, 
in  1876  nearly  60  per  cent,  of  the  English  vessels 
trading  to  India  and  to  Malasia  pursued  the 
route  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  tolls  and 
income  of  the  canal  for  1879  were  32,209,493 
francs. 

The  absence  of  fresh  water  along  the  line  of 
the  canal  was  a  great  discouragement  and  caused 
considerable  expense  until  the  fresh-water  canal 
from  the  Nile  was  completed,  and  the  drifting 
sands  of  the  desert  were  partially  arrested  by  vege 
tation,  which  became  possible  through  irrigation. 
The  extensive  works  necessary  for  the  formation 
of  Port  Said  was  the  most  formidable  difficulty 
encountered,  and  it  is  possible  of  maintenance 
only  by  constant  dredging,  involving  large  ex 
penditures.  The  favorable  conditions  were  the 
almost  entire  absence  of  rain-fall,  being  a  mean 
of  an  inch  and  one-third  }Tearly  at  Cairo,  the 
existence  of  inconsiderable  tides,  and  the  small 
amount  of  hard  material  to  excavate.  The  easy 
slopes  and  low  grounds,  as  well  as  the  absence 
of  heavy  rain-falls,  made  the  deposition  of  the 
excavated  material  easy  ;  in  general,  by  very 
powerful  dredging-machines,  elevating  the  earth 
sufficiently  to"  deposit  it,  through  the  aid  of 
sluices,  where  it  would  be  permanent. 

The  Nicaragua  Canal  as  projected  by  Com 
mander  E.  P.  Lull,  U.S.N. — The  proposed  canal 
as  located  requires  the  construction  of  two  har 
bors,  one  at  Greytown,  the  other  at  Brito,  on  the 
Pacific.  In  the  construction  of  these  harbors  a 
liberal  estimate  of  cost  is  proposed,  but  that  part 
is  the  only  uncertain  element  of  cost  of  the 
canal;  the  plans  have  received  the  careful  ex 
amination  and  approval  of  able  engineers  on  the 
estimate  of  cost  as  given. 

The  distance  apart  of  these  harbors,  following 
the  line  as  located,  is  181  £  miles;  the  summit- 
level  is  Fall  Lake,  107.6  feet  above  mean  ocean- 
level.  From  Greytown  to  slack-water  naviga 
tion  of  the  San  Juan  River  is  42  miles,  and  esti 
mate  of  cost  $13, 390,000.  Recent  instrumental 
examinations  insure  a  decrease  in  distance  of 
7  miles,  with  a  proportionate  decrease  in  the 
estimate  of  cost. 

The  slackvwftter  navigation  begins  above  the 
mouth^Tthe  San  Carlos  River,  and  continues  a 
distance  of  63  miles  to  Lake  Nicaragua.  As 
I6cated,  four  dams  are  required  of  a  mean  height 
of  29.}  feet,  and  an  aggregate  length  of  3960  feet ; 
the  natural  foundations  are  good.  Three  natural 
canals  around  the  dams  have  an  aggregate  length 
of  3£  miles.  Between  a  point  6  miles  from 
Greytown  and  Lake  Nicaragua  a  lockage  of 
107.6  feet  has  to  be  effected.  A  certain  amount 
of  blasting  and  dredging  is  proposed  in  flhe  bed 
of  the  San  Juan  for  slack-water  navigation. 
Recent  examinations  have  led  to  th«  considera 
tion  of  making  only  two  dams,  and/ thus  reduce 
subaqueous  work  and  lateral  canalization. 

The  lake  navigation  extends  56-j  miles,  and 
the  estimated  cost  of  its  improvement  is  $715, (560. 

The  distance  from  Virgin  Bay  to  the  Pacific  is 
16|  miles  by  the  Rio  del  Medio  route.  Recent 
investigations  assure  the  diversion  of  the  head 
waters  of  the  Rio  Grande  into  the  lake,  thus 
securing  a  satisfactory  surface-drainage  and  a 


CANALS 


107 


CANALS 


cutting  of  only  43  feet  above  the  lake  by  the 
Lajas  route.  The  descent  involves  10  locks,  as 
now  proposed,  of  equal  lift,  and  a  tide-lock  at 
Brito,  where  the  spring-tides  are  8  feet. 

Summarized,  the  actual  canalization  required 
is  52  miles  ;  slack-water  navigation  on  the  river 
San  Juan,  63  miles  ;  lake  navigation,  unimpeded 
except  as  above  stated,  56J  miles  ;  cost  as  located, 
$52,577,718  ;  with  25  per  cent,  contingent,  $65,- 
722,147.  The  improved  location  reduces  estimate 
for  labor  $7,000,000. 

The  mean  annual  rain-fall,  with  not  very  ex 
tended  observations,  is  83  inches,  with  a  dry 
season  extending  from  December  to  April.  The 
probable  time  required  to  construct  the  canal  is 
five  years.  Excellent  stone,  lime,  and  cement, 
as  well  as  timber,  are  in  abundance  and  con 
venient.  Lake  Nicaragua  has  a  superfice  of 
2800  miles,  and  an  outflow  twenty  times  as  great 
as  could  be  required  for  lockage.  The  trade- 
winds  extend  to  the  ports  almost  without  inter 
ruption,  making  the  proposed  canal  easy  for  the 
passage  of  sailing-vessels. 

To  such  persons  as  have  given  little  attention 
to  an  American  interoceanic  ship-canal,  an  in 
spection  of  a  globe  will  at  once  show  its  im 
portance  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  northern  hem 
isphere,  and  at  the  same  time  the  advantage  that 
will  be  derived  through  being  able  to  pursue 
routes  in  belts  of  prevailing  fair  winds  by  making 
slight  detours  for  the  purpose. 

The  Panama  Route  as  developed  by  the  surveys 
of  Commander  E.  P.  Lull,  U.S.N.—The  pro 
posed  route  as  located  extends  from  Aspinwall 
to  Panama,  a  distance  of  41  f  miles.  The  canal 
has  a  summit-level  of  124  feet,  and  derives  its 
•water-supply  from  the  upper  Chagres,  crossing 
that  river  at  summit-level  by  means  of  an  aque 
duct  1900  feet  in  length.  The  height  at  which 
the  canal  should  cross  the  Chagres  was  deter 
mined  as  a  necessity  to  avoid  extraordinary  floods, 
but  this  height  appears  to  be  four  feet  less  than 
would  be  found  necessary  to  secure  the  safety  of 
the  aqueduct  from  such  floods  as  those  of  No 
vember,  1879.* 

The  proposed  feeder  is  10}  miles  in  length,  and, 
with  dam  and  appliances,  the  estimated  cost  is 
$10,366,899.  At  the  time  of  locating  the  canal 
the  water-supply  was  supposed  to  be  unusually 
low,  but  still  entirely  sufficient  for  purposes  of 
lockage.  In  March,  1878  and  1880,  the  water- 
supply  was  inadequate. 

As  planned  there  are  24  lift-locks  of  10J  feet 
each,  and  a  tide-lock  at  Panama,  where  the  tides 
reach  22  feet.  At  Aspinwall  the  tide  is  nominal. 

The  estimated  cost  for  labor  and  material, 
made  on  a  common  basis  for  the  Nicaragua  Canal, 
is  $75,609,108,  and  with  25  per  cent,  contingent, 
$94,511,360.  Commander  Lull  remarks  the  ab 
sence  of  all  material  for  construction  except 
timber. 

The  average  yearly  rain-fall  is  124  inches.  In 
1872  it  was  170  inches.  The  dry  season  extends 
usually  from  January  to  about  the  middle  of 
April. 

The  Panama  Canal  d  niveau  of  M.  de  Lesseps. 
— Accompanying  a  "circular"  addressed  by  M. 
de  Lesseps  to  American  bankers  is  a  "  Eeport 
of  the  International  Technical  Commission  ap- 

*  On  page  7  of  Commander  Lull's  report  will  he  found  his 
instructions,  and  the  reasons  for  the  proposed  height  of  lock 
age  and  objections  to  a  sea-level  canal  by  that  route. 


pointed  to  examine  the  definite  work  required 
for  the  construction  of  the  Panama  Canal." 
This  title  is,  perhaps,  given  from  the  fact  that 
the  engineers  employed  by  M.  de  Lesseps  were 
of  different  nationalities.  The  report  is  dated 
Panama,  February  14,  1880,  and  in  substance  is 
as  follows : 

1.  On  the  line  of  levels  of  the  Panama  rail 
road,  as  a  base,  58  cross-sections  have  been  taken. 
Several  curves  of  2000  metres  radius  have  been 
adopted. 

2.  Fifteen  borings  had  been  taken  on  the  line 
of  the  canal  and  on  the  line  of  the  proposed  dam 
at  Gamboa ;  these  borings  were  from  a  depth  of 
from  12  to  22  metres. 

3.  It  has  been  determined  to  adopt  a  slope  of 
1  to  1,  except  in  the  summit  division  in  rock, 
where  J  to  1  is  considered  sufficient. 

4.  It  is  proposed  to  overcome  the  difficulties 
presented  by  the  river  Chagres  by  the  construc 
tion  of    a   dam   at   Gamboa,  situated    between 
Matachin  and   Cruces.     "The  commission  ex 
presses   the  opinion  that   a  dam  40  metres  in 
height  would  provide  for  the  storage  of  a  volume 
of  water  of  one  thousand  millions  of  cubic  metres, 
a  quantity  equal  to  the  maximum  estimate  of 
the  flood  of  November  25,  1879  (the  greatest  that 
has  ever  been  recorded),  as  given  by  Colonel  G. 
M.  Totten.     This  work  will  be  completed  by  the 
construction  of  a  new  channel  for  the  regulated 
flow  of  the  river  from  the  Gamboa  dam  to  the 
sea.     Another  similar  but  narrower  channel  will 
be  provided  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  canal,  for 
the  stream  and  drainage  on  that  side." 

5.  The  commission  deems  it  necessary  to  pro 
vide  at  Panama  a  tide-lock  at  the  outlet,  so  as  to 
preserve  a  constant  level  in  the  canal,  and  on  the 
Atlantic  side,  at  Limon  Bay,  a  breakwater  2 
kilometres  (6561  feet)  in  length. 

6.  The  estimate  of  amount  of  excavation  is  as 
follows  :  in  earth,  12,005,000  ;  hard  soil,  300,000  ; 
hard  rocks,  6,786,000;  a  total  of  19,091 ,000  cubic 
metres.      For  above  water:  earth,  27,350,000; 
soft  rock,  825,000;  hard  rock,  27,734,000;  mak 
ing  a  grand  total  of  75,000,000  cubic  metres. 

The  estimate  for  excavation  of  rock  above 
water  is  given  at  2|-  francs ;  for  rocks  of  mean 
hardness,  7 ;  for  hard  rocks,  12 ;  for  excavation 
of  rock  where  pumping  is  required,  18  francs. 

For  dredging  and  excavation  under  water: 
mud,  2£  francs;  hard  soil,  12;  excavation  of 
rocks,  35  francs  per  cubic  metre. 

The  proposed  dam  at  Gamboa  has  a  length  of 
1600  metres  (5249  feet),  with  a  height  of  40 
metres  (131  feet),  exclusive  of  foundation.  The 
cost  is  set  down  in  a  round  sum  of  100,000,000 
francs. 

The  lateral  canals  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
surface-drainage  are  also  set  down  for  a  round 
sum  of  75,000,000  francs,  the  tide-lock  at  Panama 
at  12,000,000,  and  the  breakwater  in  Limon  Bay 
at  10,000,000,  which,  with  a  contingent  of  10 
per  cent.,  makes  a  grand  total  of  843,000,000 
francs,  which  the  commission  states  was  u  the 
cost  of  the  work  at  the  prices  fixed  by  the  Paris 
congress  for  the  various  items." 

M.  de  Lesseps  gives  further  information  to 
the  Board  of  Trade  of  San  Francisco.  Length 
of  canal,  45  miles,  with  a  cutting  through  an 
elevation  of  90  metres  (295  feet)  above  ocean- 
level  for  a  distance  of  three-fifths  of  a  mile.  He 
estimates  the  time  necessary  for  construction  at 


CANALS 


108 


CANALS 


six  years,  and  proposes  a  depth  of  water  below  the 
sea-level  of  27  feet. 

It  is  apparent  that  the  capacity  of  the  proposed 
reservoir,  the  strength  of  the  dam,  and  the  suffi 
ciency  of  the  proposed  lateral  canals,  as  well  as 
their  strength  of  embankment,  are  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  the  security  of  the  work. 

The  prevalence  of  calms  in  Panama  Bay  and 
its  approaches  appears  on  all  weather-charts,  and 
has  been  especially  remarked  by  Capt.  Bedford 
Pine,  of  the  British  navy,  and  also  by  Commander 
Maury,  formerly  of  our  navy,  who  regards  this 
fact  as  making  that  locality  totally  unfit  for  the 
construction  of  a  canal. 


length  varies  from  32  to  81  miles ;  depth  of 
cutting,  50  to  80  feet ;  sea-level,  with  two 
tide-locks;  estimated  cost,  from  $8,000,000  to 
141,000,000,  according  to  route. 

6th.  From  Cape  Cod  Bay  to  Buzzard's  Bay. 
Length,  about  18  miles;  proposed  by  a  company 
incorporated  by  the  State  of  Massachusetts ;  es 
timated  cost,  $4,000,000. 

7th.  From  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  Appalachi- 
cola  Bay,  across  Florida  (with  locks).  Proposed 
and  surveyed  by  the  U.  S.  government ;  length, 
168.5  miles;  summit,  203  feet;  estimated  cost, 
$50,278,746. 

8th.  Between  Caspian  and  Black  Seas  via  Sea 


Existing  Ship-Canals.^ 


Name  of  Canal. 

Where 
Situated. 

Connecting  what 
Waters  or  Lo 
calities. 

By  whom 
Designed. 

1 

1 
5  3 

st 

I 
« 

fe 

Vessels  of 
ift—  Feet. 

Cost- 
Dollars. 

o 
•g| 

If 

O° 

m 

Remarks. 

1 

I 

il«c 

a% 
£3 

1 

3 

H 

9 

X 

£ 

Caledonian. 

Scotland. 

Loch  Lihnne  and 

Telford. 

60^ 

100 

23 

17 

5,000,000 

1823 

Hardly  pays  expenses. 

Inverness  Frith. 

Great        North 
Holland. 

Holland. 

Amsterdam  and 
the  Helder. 

Blanken. 

51^ 

IK  to 
5  feet 

3 

17 
to 

7,500,000 

1825 

below 

18 

the 

sea. 

North  Sea. 

Holland. 

Amsterdam  and 

A  Dutch 

141-5 

17-12 

2 

24 

16,000,000 

1876 

North  Sea. 

Commission. 

below 

j 

St.  Mary's  Falls. 

Michigan. 

Lake      Superior 

Canfield. 

1 

sea. 
18 

2 

10 

1,000,000!  1855 

and  Lake  Hu 

ron. 

St.  Mary's  Falls. 

Michigan. 

Lake      Superior 

Poe. 

1 

18 

1 

17 

Estimated   Prob- 

The    largest    ship-canal 

and  Lake  Hu 

2,200,000:     ably 

lock  in  existence.  Ex 

ron. 

1880 

penditures  to  July  1, 

Welland  and  St. 
Lawrence. 

Canada. 

Lake    Erie   and 
Tide-Water. 

Canadian 
Commission. 

70%T 

536^ 

54 

10 

14,847,2271 

1844 
to 

1880,  $1,569,173. 
This  canal  system   con 
sists  of  seven  different 

1856 

sections,     varying    in 

length  from  %  to  27Vg 

miles. 

Welland  and  St. 
Lawrence. 

Canada. 

Lake    Erie    and 
Tide-Water. 

Canadian 
Commission. 

69% 

536^ 

5)5 

13 

38,623,9481 

Prob 
ably 

1882 

Suez. 

Egypt. 

Mediterranean 

De  Lesseps. 

100 

Sea- 

0 

26 

About 

1869 

and  Red  Sea. 

level. 

100,000,000 

*  Includes  the  new  St.  Mary's  Falls,  Welland  and  St.  Lawrence  enlargement,  none  of  which  are  quite  completed. 

t  Does  not  include  river  and  lake  navigation. 

j  The  cost  of  canals  up  to  date  of  confederation,  in  1867. 

||  Includes  upwards  of  $8,000,000  expended  in  improvements  and  enlargement  from  1867  to  1877. 


Proposed  Ship-Canals. — 1st.  From  Bay  of 
Campeachy  to  Gulf  of  Tehuantepec,  in  Mexico 
(with  locks).  Proposed  by  private  capitalists; 
surveyed  by  IT.  S.  government;  length,  144 
miles;  summit,  650  feet;  estimate  of  cost  not 
given. 

2d.  From  Caribbean  Sea  to  Pacific  Ocean,  in 
Nicaragua  (see  above  description). 

3d.  From  Bay  of  San  Bias  to  Bay  of  Panama, 
in  U.  S.  of  Colombia  (at  sea-level).  Proposed 
by  private  individuals ;  surveyed  by  order  of 
U.  S.  government ;  length,  30  to  33  miles  ;  height 
of  summit,  unknown ;  estimated  cost  by  Paris 
Canal  Congress,  $280,000,000;  tunnel,  7  to  10 
miles  long. 

4th.  From  Bay  of  Limon  to  Bay  of  Panama, 
in  U.  S.  of  Colombia  (see  text). 

5th.  From  Chesapeake  to  Delaware  Bays,  in 
Maryland  and  Delaware.  Several  routes  pro 
posed ;  surveyed  by  the  U.  S.  government; 


of  Azof,  in  Russia.  Proposed  by  the  Russian 
government.  The  summit,  or  divide,  is  stated 
to  be  but  23  feet  above  sea-level.  The  Caspian 
is  84  feet  below  the  level  of  the  sea. 

9th.  Between  the  Baltic  and  North  Seas,  in 
Germany  (with  locks).  Proposed  by  the  im 
perial  government  of  Germany.  Connects  the 
mouth  of  the  Elbe  and  the  port  of  Kiel.  Dis 
tance,  about  45  miles  ;  estimated  cost,  f#8, 750,000. 

10th.  From  the  Mediterranean  to  the  North 
Sea,  in  France.  Proposed  by  Can't.  Salicis,  of 
the  French  navy;  length,  1071  miles ;  summit, 
935  feet ;  no  locks,  except  at  the  gea. 

llth.  From  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  near  Cron- 
stadt,  to  St.  Petersburg,  in  Rusjsia  (at  the  sea- 
level).  Now  under  construction  by  the  govern 
ment.  Length,  16.4  miles ;  /designed  to  be 
extended  in  a  reduced  size  to  thfe  White  Sea. 

12th.  From  the  Gulf  of  Mrfnaar  to  the  Palk 
Strait,  in  India  (at  the  sea-jlevel).  Proposed 


CAN-BODY 


109 


CANT 


by  the  government ;  length,  about  3  miles ;  es 
timated  cost,  $2,200,000. 

13th.  From  East  River,  New  York  Harbor,  to 
the  Hudson,  via  Hudson  River  (sea-level).  To  be 
constructed  by  the  government.  Length,  about 
6  miles ;  estimated  cost  by  Gen.  Newton,  $2,100,- 
000.—  Daniel  Ammen,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N. 

Can-body.     An  old  term  for  a  can-buoy. 

Can-buoy.  A  buoy  in  the  form  of  a  cone ; 
they  are  floated  over  sands  and  other  obstruc 
tions  in  navigation  as  marks  to  be  avoided.  See 
BUOYS. 

Cancer,  Constellation  of  (Lat.  Cancer,  "The 
Crab").  The  fourth  constellation  of  the  ancient 
zodiac,  lying  between  Gemini  and  Leo.  There 
is  no  star  in  it  above  the  fourth  magnitude. 

CANCER,  SIGN  OF.  The  fourth  division  of  the 
ecliptic,  including  from  90°  to  120°  of  longitude. 
Owing  to  the  precession  of  the  equinoxes,  the 
constellation  Cancer  is  no  longer  in  the  sign  of 
the  name,  the  constellation  Gemini  having  taken 
its  place.  The  sun  is  in  Cancer  from  about  June 
21  to  about  July  22.  Symbol  05. 

CANCER,  TROPIC  OF.  That  parallel  in  the 
northern  hemisphere  whose  latitude  is  equal  to 
the  sun's  greatest  declination,  about  23°  28'. 

Candle.  Candles  which  are  used  for  the  battle- 
lanterns  are  kept  primed.  The  magazine  lantern 
is  fitted  to.  burn  candles  made  of  hard  spermaceti 
or  wax ;  those  of  parafline,  or  such  as  have  tal 
low  in  them,  are  prohibited,  and  all  candles  are 
thoroughly  examined  and  tested.  When  candles 
are  used  for  side  lights  they  should  be  of  suf 
ficient  size  to  burn  from  sunset  to  sunrise,  and 
to  be  visible  on  a  dark  night,  with  a  clear  atmos 
phere,  at  a  distance  of  at  least  two  miles. 

CANDLE-BARK.    A  cylindrical  tin  for  candles. 

Cane.  The  rattan  (Calamus  rudentum]  is 
sometimes  used  for  standing  rigging  and  cables. 
The  cables  remain  in  the  water  along  time  with 
out  decaying  or  becoming  injured  by  the  teredo. 
They  are  very  hard  and  difficult  to  cut,  and  are 
therefore  used  to  connect  logs  as  booms  to  stop 
the  navigation  of  rivers.  See  CANEVAS. 

Canes" Venatici  (Lat.  "The  Hunting  Dogs"). 
A  constellation  between  Ursa  Major  and  Bootes. 
The  principal  star  is  marked  12  Canum  Venati- 
corum,  named  also  Cor  Cdroli,  and  may  be  found 
by  drawing  a  line  from  Dubhe,  the  star  of  the 
Great  Bear  nearest  the  pole,  to  the  opposite  star 
of  the  square  of  that  constellation,  and  producing 
it  to  nearly  twice  the  distance. 

Canevas.  An  old  word  for  hemp  canvas,  but 
many  races  in  the  East  make  sails  entirely  of 
cane. 

Can-hooks.  Hooks  used  to  sling  a  cask  by 
the  chimes. 

Canis  Major  (Lat.  "  The  Greater  Dog").  A 
constellation  to  the  S.E.  of  Orion,  containing  the 
brightest  star  in  the  heavens,  a  Canis  Majoris, 
the  Dog  Star  ;  it  can  be  found  by  continuing 
the  line  of  the  belt  of  Orion  to  about  three  times 
its  length. 

Canis  Minor  (Lat.  "  The  Lesser  Dog").  A 
constellation  to  the  E.  of  Orion,  containing  a 
bright  star,  a  Canis  Minoris,  called  also  Procyon. 
It  can  be  found  by  continuing  a  line  through 
the  two  upper  stars  of  Orion  to  about  twice  its 
length. 

Canister.  A  tin  or  sheet-iron  cylinder  filled 
with  cast-iron  shot,  and  closed  at  the  ends  by 
blocks  of  wood  ;  the  larger  sizes  are  strengthened 


by  a  spindle  running  through  and  connecting 
the  ends,  having  a  nut  and  handle  fixed  to  the 
upper  part.  ^  The  interstices  are  filled  with  dry 
sawdust  to  give  greater  solidity  to  the  mass,  and 
to  prevent  the  balls  from  crowding  when  the 
piece  is  fired. 

Cannon.  A  military  engine  for  projecting 
shot,  shell,  etc.,  by  the  force  of  gunpowder. 
Cannons  are  classified  as  guns,  howitzers,  and 
mortars  (which  see).  See  ORDNANCE. 

CANNONADE.  The  opening  and  continuance 
of  the  fire  of  artillery  upon  any  object. 

CANNON-PERER.  An  ancient  piece  of  ord 
nance  in  ships  of  war  for  throwing  stone  shot. 

CANNON-PETRONEL.  A  piece  of  ordnance  with 
a  6-inch  bore  which  carried  a  24-pound  shot. 

CANNON-ROYAL.  A  60-pounder  of  SJ-inch 
bore. 

CANNON-SERPENTINE.  An  old  name  for  a 
gun  of  7  inches  bore. 

Canoe.  A  light  narrow  boat  which  is  im 
pelled  by  paddles  used  vertically,  and  some 
times  fitted  with  a  sail.  It  is  formed  of  a  tree 
hollowed  out  by  hewing  or  burning,  or  of  a  light 
frame- work  covered  with  bark  or  hides.  Canoes 
are  also  made  of  iron,  paper,  and  caoutchouc. 
See  ROB  ROY. 

The  Fejee  Islanders  use  a  double  canoe,  which 
is  fitted  with  an  enormous  sail.  The  two  canoes 
are  several  yards  apart,  but  a  deck  extends  over 
and  is  firmly  secured  to  both.  See  FLYING 
PROA. 

Canopus.     The  name  of  the  star  a  Argfi,s. 

Canopy.  A  light  awning  over  the  stern-sheets 
of  a  boat.  The  brass  frame-work  over  a  hatch. 

Cant.  The  term  used  to  express  the  position 
of  a  piece  of  timber  which  does  not  stand  square  ; 
it  is  said  to  be  on  a  cant  or  diagonal  line.  A 
cut  made  in  a  whale,  to  which  is  made  fast  the 
lower  block  of  a  purchase  for  turning  the  whale 
over  during  the  operation  of  flensing.  To  turn 
anything  so  that  it  does  not  stand  square.  To 
diverge  from  a  central  line. 

CANT  BALLAST.  When  a  ship  by  a  violent 
lurch  throws  her  ballast  over  to  leeward,  where 
it  remains,  keeping  her  from  righting,  she  is 
said  to  cant  or  shift  her  ballast. 

CANT-BLOCKS.  The  blocks  of  the  cant-pur 
chase. 

CANT-BODY.  That  part  of  the  plans  of  the 
body  of  a  ship,  either  in  the  drawings  or  in  the 
mold-loft,  which  represents  the  outlines  of  the 
cant-timbers,  and  also  the  lines  of  the  bevelings 
of  the  timbers. 

CANT-FALLS.     See  SPIKE-TACKLE. 

CANT-FRAME. — The  name  of  one  of  those 
frames  of  the  ship  which  do  not  stand  square 
across  the  keel,  but  which  have  their  heads  in 
clined  in  a  diagonal  direction,  either  forward  or 
aft,  as  may  be  needed  to  fill  the  space  between 
the  square  frames  and  the  stem  forward,  or  the 
square  frame  and  the  counter-timbers  at  the 
after  end  of  the  ship. 

CANT-HOOK.  A  lever  with  a  hook,  for  slueing 
heavy  articles. 

CANT-MOLDING.  The  molding  of  any  one 
of  the  frames  or  the  timbers  by  the  use  of  the 
cant-molds  and  the  cant-bevels,  prepared  in  the 
mold-loft,  preparatory  to  the  timbers  being  cut 
into  the  required  shape  by  the  workmen.  ^ 

CANT-PURCHASE.  A  purchase  of  which  the 
upper  block  is  secured  to  the  mast-head,  and  the 


CANTAKA 


110 


CAPE 


lower  block  to  the  whale,  to  turn  it  over  during 
the  operation  of  flensing. 

CANT-TIMBER. — The  name  of  any  one  of  the 
timbers,  of  which  there  are  several  in  each  cant- 
frame. 

Cantata.     A  watering-place. 

Canteen  (Fr.  cantine).  A  military  term 
which  in  the  United  States  is  applied  only  to  a 
tin  vessel  covered  with  cloth  and  furnished  with 
a  strap  by  which  it  is  slung,  which  is  issued  to 
soldiers  for  carrying  water  for  their  personal  use 
on  the  march  or  in  campaign.  In  other  countries 
the  term,  or  its  equivalent,  is  used  to  indicate  a 
small  wooden  or  leathern  chest  or  coffer  contain 
ing  the  table  equipage  and  utensils  of  an  officer 
in  campaign ;  it  is  also  applied  to  the  store  of 
the  licensed  sutler  of  a  regiment  or  garrison. 

Cantick-quoin.  A  quoin  used  in  chocking  up 
casks  to  keep  them  from  working. 

Canting-livre.  A  light  piece  of  ornament  at 
the  forward  part  of  a  quarter-gallery,  also  called 
console-bracket. 

Cant-line.     Gant-line  or  girt-line  (which  see). 

Canton.  A  city  of  China,  and  the  great  com 
mercial  emporium  of  the  province  of  Quang- 
Tong,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Canton  or  Pearl 
River,  about  80  miles  from  its  mouth  in  the 
China  Sea.  Lat.  23°  6/  9"  N.  ;  Ion.  113°  15' 
E.  Canton,  with  its  suburbs,  occupies  the  north 
bank  of  the  river,  extending  inland  nearly  to  a 
row  of  heights  commanding  it  on  the  north  and 
northeast,  but  between  which  and  the  city  is  a 
broken  ravine ;  to  the  south  lies  an  alluvial 
plain,  formed  by  the  delta  of  the  river.  A  large 
part  of  the  population  reside  on  the  water,  and 
for  four  or  five  miles  opposite  the  city  and  both 
above  and  below  the  river  is  crowded  with  vessels 
and  rafts  of  all  kinds.  Pop.  1,500,000. 

Cant-rope.     See  FOUR-CANT. 

Cant-spar.  A  small  spar  fit  for  making  a 
small  mast,  yard,  boom,  etc. 

Canvas.  Coarse  cloth  made  of  hemp,  flax,  or 
cotton.  In  the  navy  cotton  canvas  is  used  for 
mess-cloths,  tarpaulins,  boom-covers,  windsails, 
bags,  hammocks,  etc.  Flax  canvas  is  used  for 
sails,  and  is  woven  in  cloths  24  inches  in  width, 
and  put  up  in  bolts  of  40  yards  each.  Canvas  is 
numbered  from  1  to  9,  No.  1  being  the  heaviest. 
In  large  vessels  numbers  1,  2,  3  are  used  for 
storm-staysails,  courses,  and  topsails  ;  4  and  5  for 
jib  and  main  topgallant-sails,  and  the  lighter 
canvas  for  royals,  stun'sails,  flying-jib,  etc. 

It  is  of  the  first  importance  to  obtain  the  best 
canvas,  as  the  safety  of  the  ship  frequently  de- 

nds  on  its  quality.  The  warp  or  chain  of  Nos. 
,  and  3  should  be  wholly  wrought  and  made 
of  double  yarns,  and  both  the  warp  and  shoot  or 
weft  yarn  ought  to  be  made  of  long  flax,  which 
should  be  well  dressed,  properly  cleansed,  even 
spun,  and  well  twisted ;  and  all  the  weft  yarns 
should  be  fully  as  strong  as  the  warp  yarns. 

It  has  been  found  that  sails  made  with  the 
seams  and  selvages  running  down  parallel  with 
their  edges  are  very  apt  to  bag  and  become  worn 
in  the  middle  from  the  strain  to  which  they  are 
subjected  by  the  force  of  the  wind.  To  obviate 
this,  a  mode  of  making  sails  with  the  seams  and 
selvages  running  diagonally  was  proposed  by 
Admiral  Brooking,  and  a  patent  was  granted  to 
him  in  1828.  It  has  also  been  proposed  to  weave 
the  canvas  with  diagonal  threads ;  that  is,  to 
place  tne  weft  yarns  at  an  oblique  angle  to  the 


warp  yarns.  To  accomplish  this  object  the  loom 
must  be  peculiarly  constructed,  its  warp  and 
work-beams  must  stand  at  an  oblique  angle  with 
the  sides  of  the  loom,  and  the  batten  and  slay 
must  hang  in  a  peculiar  manner,  in  order  to  beat 
up  the  weft  in  lines  ranging  diagonally  with 
the  warp. 

Canvas  is  also  a  technical  term  for  the  sails  of 
a  ship.  Under  canvas,  under  sail  ;  storm-can 
vas,  the  storm-staysails,  trysails,  storm-mizzen, 
double-reefed  foresail,  close-reefed  fore  and  main 
topsails,  and  fore-topmast  staysail. 

Canvas-back.  A  species  of  duck,  Fuligula, 
valisneriana,  deriving  its  name  from  the  color  of 
the  plumage  on  its  back. 

Cap.  A  bit  of  leather  or  tarred  canvas  put 
over  the  ends  of  standing  rigging  to  protect 
them  from  the  weather.  A  large  thick  block  of 
wood  having  a  round  and  square  hole  in  it,  used 
to  confine  two  masts  together  when  one  is  erected 
at  the  head  of  the  other.  The  square  hole  of  the 
lower  cap  fits  over  the  tenon  of  the  lower  mast, 
and  the  topmast  traverses  through  the  round 
hole.  The  topmast  is  fitted  with  a  cap  for  the 
topgallant-mast,  and  the  bowsprit  for  the  jib- 
boom. 

In  mechanism,  a  block  or  plate  of  wood  or 
metal,  used  to  confine  the  adjustable  bearings  of 
a  journal.  It  is  usually  secured  by  bolts  and 
nuts,  or  by  keys.  See  JOURNAL. 

Generally,  a  cap  is  a  top-piece  used  to  confine, 
cover,  or  protect  any  portion  of  a  machine  or 
structure. 

CAP-BLOCK.  The  upper  piece  of  each  pile  of 
building  blocks  on  which  the  keel  is  laid. , 

CAP-SCUTTLE.  A  scuttle  having  a  ledge  or 
coaming,  over  which  is  a  top  setting  closely  into 
a  rabbet. 

CAP-SHORE.  A  supporting  spar  between  the 
cap  and  trestle-trees. 

CAP-SQUARE.  A  curved  plate  of  metal,  so 
arranged  as  to  be  easily  removed,  used  to  con 
fine  the  trunnions  of  a  gun  to  the  carriage. 

Capabarre.  An  old  term  for  misappropriating 
government  stores. 

Capacise.     A  corrupt  form  of  capsize. 

Capacity.  Burden ;  tonnage ;  extent  of  room 
or  space. 

Cape.  To  keep  a  course.  How  does  she  cape  ? 
How  does  she  lie  her  course  ? 

Cape.  A  cape  is  a  neck  of  land  extending 
some  distance  into  the  sea,  or  into  other  bodies 
of  water.  A  high,  mountainous  cape  is  called  a 
promontory  ;  a  low,  sandy  cape  is  called  a  spit ; 
a  very  small,  sharp  cape  is  called  a  point.  The 
term  ^headland,  or  head,  may  include  all  these, 
or  indicates  a  broad  cape. 

The  local  names  used  to  designate  these  head 
lands  have,  in  many  instances,  remained  on  the 
charts.  Point  is  the  term  generally  used  to  in 
dicate  a  cape  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  and 
Gulf  of  Finland.  In  Prussia,  Ort ;  in  Norway 
and  Sweden,  Naes,  Horn,  and  Kyn  ;  in  Den 
mark,  Naes ;  in  Holland,  Hoek ;  in  Scotland, 
the  Shetland  and  Orkney  Islands,  Ness  and 
Head ;  Ru  in  the  Isle  of  Skye ;  Butt  and  Aird 
in  the  Hebrides ;  Point,  Nab,  Ness,  and  Head 
in  England  and  Wales  ;  Head  and  Foreland  in 
Ireland ;  Spit  in  the  Caspian  and  Aral  Seas  ; 
Ras  in  North  Africa,  the  Red  Sea,  Persian  Gulf, 
and  coast  of  Arabia  ;  and  Saki  in  Japan,  are 
common  examples  of  these  designations. 


CAPELLA 


111 


CAPSTAN 


In  the  names  of  the  thousands  of  capes  that 
fringe  the  continents  and  islands  of  the  world, 
navigators  have  perpetuated  their  own  names, 
the  names  of  their  vessels,  their  countries,  their 
cities,  their  great  men,  their  rulers,  and  their 
heroes,  while  the  saints  of  the  calendar  are  not 
to  be  forgotten  as  long  as  the  many  Cape  St. 
Elizabeths,  St.  Sebastians,  St.  Anthonys,  and 
many  other  sanctified  names  remain.  Some  head 
lands  are  named  from  the  circumstances  attend 
ing  their  discovery,  as  Cape  Disappointment, 
Cape  Flattery,  and  others  ;  some  from  the  day 
on  which  they  were  first  seen,  as  Friday  Cape, 
etc.  ;  others  from  physical  characteristics,  as 
Kojo  (Ked  Cape),  Blanco  (White  Cape),  Verd 
(Green  Cape),  Sandy  Cape,  Rocky  Point,  etc.  'f 
others  again  from  the  products  of  sea  or  shore 
found  near  them,  as  Cape  Cod,  Lobos  (Seal) 
Point,  etc.  Many  capes  are  remarkable  from 
the  important  position  they  occupy,  being  promi 
nent  landmarks  to  the  mariner,  and  some  even 
receive  their  names  from  this  characteristic, 
as  Start  Point ;  and  Land's  End  and  Finis- 
terre  describe  their  position  by  their  names. 
Some  headlands  attain  a  prominence  from  being 
at  the  entrance  of  important  bays,  rivers,  or 
harbors,  where  large  cities  and  greater  commerce 
enhance  their  usefulness.  On  the  more  promi 
nent  headlands  of  the  world  light-houses  are 
placed,  and  those  that  are  at  the  entrance  of  im 
portant  places  have  electric,  or  other  lights  of 
a  high  illuminating  power. 

The  following  capes  on  the  coast  of  the  United 
States  have  first-order  lights  : 


Capitana.  The  principal  galley  in  an  ancient 
fleet. 

Caplin,  or  Capelin.  A  fish  of  the  family 
Clupeidce,  very  similar  to  a  smelt,  and  used  for 
bait  for  cod-fish  011  the  banks  of  Newfound 
land. 

Cap'n.  A  colloquial  abbreviation  for  cap 
tain. 

Capon.     A  jeering  term  for  red  herring. 

Capote.  A  storm-coat  fitted  with  a  hood, 
much  worn  in  the  Mediterranean. 

Cappanus.  The  worm  which  adheres  to  and 
gnaws  the  bottom  of  a  ship. 

Capped.  A  ship  endeavoring  to  make  her 
way  against  head  currents  is  said  to  be  capped. 

Capricorn,  Tropic  of.  That  parallel  in  the 
southern  hemisphere  whose  latitude  is  equal  to 
the  sun's  greatest  declination,  about  23°  28'. 
See  TROPICS. 

Capricornus,  Constellation  of  (Lat.  Capri- 
cormis,  "  The  Goat").  The  tenth  constellation  of 
the  ancient  zodiac,  lying  between  Sagittarius  and 
Aquarius.  There  is  no  star  in  it  above  the  third 
magnitude ;  a  and  (3  may  be  found  by  the  line 
joining  Lyra  and  Altair  being  produced  to  not 
quite  its  own  length. 

CAPRICORNUS,  SIGN  OF.  The  tenth  division 
of  the  ecliptic,  including  from  270°  to  300°  of 
longitude.  In  consequence  of  the  precession  of 
the  equinoxes,  the  constellation  of  Capricorn  is 
no  longer  in  the  sign  of  this  name,  the  constella 
tion  Sagittarius  having  taken  its  place.  The 
sun  is  in  Capricorn  from  about  December  21  to 
about  January  20.  Symbol  >J. 


Name. 

No.  of 
Lights. 

Lat. 

Lon. 

Height, 
in  Feet. 

Distance 
Visible, 
in  Miles. 

Character  and  Color. 

Elizabeth  

2 

43°  34' 

70°  12' 

143 

18 

Fix.  and  Fl.  W. 

2 

42°  38' 

70°  34' 

165  \4 

20 

Fix  White. 

Cod 

1 

42°  02' 

70°  04' 

195 

20 

Fix  W 

Gay  Head      

1 

41°  21' 

70°  50' 

170 

20 

Fl  W.  and  R. 

1 

40°  04' 

71°  51' 

169V< 

20 

Fix  var.  by  W.  FL 

Pondqnoque  Point  

I 

40°  31' 

72°  30' 

160 

19 

Fix.  W. 

May            

1 

38°  56' 

74°  58' 

167 

19 

Fl  W 

1 

38°  47' 

75°  65' 

128 

17 

Fix  W 

Charles  

1 

37°  07' 

75°  54' 

150 

19 

Fl.  W. 

Hatteras                   .                          . 

1 

35°  1  5' 

75°  31' 

191 

20 

Fl   W 

Lookout  

1 

34°  37' 

76°  31' 

156 

19 

Fix.  W. 

1 

32°  01' 

79°  22' 

154 

18 

Fl   W 

1 

28°  28' 

80°  32' 

139     - 

18 

Fl   W 

Point  Conception  

1 

34°  27' 

120°  28' 

208 

23 

Fl.  W. 

Pigeon  Point              .                            » 

1 

37°  11' 

122°  24' 

150 

181^ 

Fl  W 

Point  Reyes  

1 

38°  10' 

123°  01' 

296 

242 

Fl.  W. 

Point  Arena  

1 

38°  57' 

123°  45' 

156 

19 

Fix  W. 

1 

40°  26' 

123°  24' 

423 

28 

Fl  W 

Blanco  

1 

42°  46' 

124°  33' 

256 

23 

Fix.  W. 

Foulweather.....  ...   . 

1 

44°  39' 

124°  04' 

161 

19 

Fix  W 

1 

46°  1  ?' 

124°  02' 

232 

21 

Fix  W 

Flattery  

1 

48°  19' 

124°  44' 

162 

19 

Fix.  W. 

F.  S.  Bassett,  Lieutenant  U.S.A. 

CAPE  FLY-AWAY.  A  cloud-bank  having  the 
appearance  of  distant  land. 

CAPE-HEN.  A  bird  which  follows  in  the  wake 
of  a  ship  rounding  the  Cape.  It  is  a  small  kind 
of  albatross.  See  MOLLY-MAWK. 

CAPE-PIGEON,  or  CAPE-PETREL.  A  sea-bird 
which  follows  a  ship  round  the  Cape. 

Capella(Lat.  "  The  Kid").  The  star  a  Aurigce. 

Caper.  A  vessel  used  for  privateering  by  the 
Dutch  in  the  17th  century. 

Caper-cornerways.     Diagonally. 

Capful  of  Wind.  A  light  puff  of  wind  which 
speedily  dies  away. 


Capsize.  To  upset  or  overturn  ;  as,  to  capsize 
a  ship. 

Capstan.  A  machine  used  on  shipboard  when 
mechanical  power  is  required  for  the  moving  or 
raising  of  heavy  weights.  It  involves  the  prin 
ciple  of  the  wheel  and  axle,  and  is  an  improve 
ment  of  the  windlass,  by  which  greater  compact 
ness  and  convenience  in  use  are  obtained.  It  also 
admits  of  the  application  of  greater  power  upon 
the  levers  or  bars. 

The  capstan  has  been  used  from  the  earliest 
times  as  a  mechanical  power.  It  was  in  use  by  the 
English,  French,  and  Spanish  as  early  as  the  15th 


CAPSTAN 


112 


CAPTAIN 


century,  and  the  drum-capstan  in  nearly  its 
present  form  was  invented  by  Sir  Thomas  More- 
land  in  1661.  It  consists  of  an  upright  cylin 
der,  called  the  barrel,  surmounted  by  a  circular 
disk  called  the  drum-head,  the  circumference  of 
which  contains  sockets  for  the  admission  of  the 
capstan-bars  or  levers  by  which  the  capstan  is 
turned. 

To  the  surface  of  the  barrel,  and  forming  a 
part  of  it,  are  attached  several  upright  pieces  of 
wood  called  whelps,  which  serve  to  increase  the 
circumference  of  the  barrel  with  but  slight  in 
crease  in  the  weight  of  the  capstan.  The  outer 
edges  of  the  whelps  being  concave,  the  turns  of 
the  rope  or  messenger  surge  or  slip  towards  the 
centre  of  the  barrel  as  it  is  wound  about  it  by 
the  revolutions  of  the  capstan.  The  base  of  the 
capstan  is  called  the  pawl-head,  and  is  similar 
in  size  and  shape  to  the  drum-head.  The  pawls 
are  short  stout  pieces  of  iron  attached  at  one  end 
to  the  periphery  of  the  pawl-head.  The  pawl- 
rim  is  a  narrow  circular  part  bolted  through  the 
deck  to  the  partners,  and  is  of  sufficient  width  to 
admit  the  lower  end  of  the  pawls  as  the  capstan 
is  turned.  By  means  of  the  pawls  and  the  cross- 
pieces  or  notches  in  the  pawl-rim,  the  capstan  is 
prevented  from  turning  back  when  the  power  is 
removed  from  the  bars. 

The  axis  of  the  capstan  consists  of  a  vertical 
iron  spindle,  attached  to  one  or  more  decks,  and 
by  which  the  capstan  is  held  firmly  in  place. 
The  same  spindle  may  serve  as  the  axis  of  a 
double  capstan,  or  two  capstans  on  different 
decks,  by  which  the  power  of  both  may  be  ap 
plied  to  the  same  object,  or  they  can  be  detached 
and  used  separately. 

Previous  to  the  improvements  that  have  been 
made  in  capstans,  the  cable  was  connected  with 
the  capstan  by  means  of  a  rope  called  the  mes 
senger.  Three  or  four  turns  of  the  messenger 
were  placed  upon  the  capstan,  one  end  passed 
forward  on  one  side  of  the  deck,  and  returned  on 
the  opposite  side,  arid  the  two  ends  lashed  to 
gether,  forming  an  endless  rope,  the  bight  of 
which  extended  from  the  capstan  to  the  hawse- 
hole.  The  messenger  was  fastened  to  the  cable 
by  means  of  nippers,  those  nearest  the  capstan 
being  changed  to  the  cable  near  the  hawse-hole 
as  they  approached  the  capstan. 

Capstans  composed  entirely  of  iron  are  now 
in  general  use,  and  improvements  have  been 
made  by  which  the  chain-cable  is  brought  di 
rectly  to  the  capstan  and  the  use  of  the  messenger 
thereby  avoided.  They  are  so  constructed  that 
the  cable  passes  around  the  rear  of  the  capstan, 
and  fits  into  a  space  between  the  barrel  and  pawl- 
head,  in  which  are  placed  chain-whelps,  which 
prevent  the  cable  from  slipping.  After  leaving 
the  capstan  the  cable  passes  around  a  vertical 
friction-roller,  which  is  placed  in  a  socket  in  the 
deck,  and  thence  to  the  chain-locker  on  the  side 
of  the  deck  to  which  the  cable  belongs. 

Steam-power  has  also  been  applied  to  this  de 
scription  of  capstan  on  board  of  steamers,  by 
which  means  the  number  of  the  crew  may  be 
reduced. 

An  increase  of  power  has  also  been  obtained 
by  means  of  a  system  of  gearing  placed  inside  of 
the  capstan,  which  connects  the  barrel  with  the 
spindle.  By  the  use  of  a  lock-bolt  the  capstan 
can  be  used  as  a  simple  purchase,  but  by  re 
moving  the  bolt  the  gearing  is  brought  into 


action,  and  the  power  is  increased  threefold. 
The  barrel  of  the  capstan  then  turns  in  a  con 
trary  direction  to  the  drum-head.— E.  T.  Strong, 
Lieutenant  U.S.N. 

To  pawl  the  capstan,  to  drop  the  pawls  into 
their  sockets  to  prevent  the  capstan  from  turning 
back.  To  rig  the  capstan,  to  ship  and  swift  in 
the  bars.  To  surge  the  capstan,  to  slack  the  rope 
wound  around  the  barrel  of  the  capstan  to  pre 
vent  it  from  riding  or  fouling.  To  walk  back  the 
capstan,  to  lift  the  pawls  and  turn  the  capstan 
in  the  opposite  direction, 

CAPSTAN-BAR.  A  long  lever  to  give  an  in 
crease  of  power  in  heaving  at  the  capstan. 

CAPSTAN-BARRING.  A  sea-punishment,  in 
which  the  offender  was  sentenced  to  carry  a 
capstan-bar  during  the  watch. 

CAPSTAN-BAR  P*IN.  A  pin  sometimes  inserted 
on  the  end  of  a  capstan-bar  to  prevent  it  from  un 
shipping. 

CAPSTAN-STEP.  The  steady,  measured  tread 
of  the  men  while  heaving  at  the  capstan. 

Captain.  A  name  given  to  the  crooner, 
crowner,  or  gray  gurnard  (Trigla  gurnardus}. 

Captain.  This  almost  universal  term  of  com 
mand  is  supposed  to  have  originated  in  the  naval 
service  from  "  caput,"  the  head  or  chief,  and 
"thane,"  a  Saxon  title  of  honor,  which  by 
statute  of  King  Athelstan  was  conferred  on  any 
merchant  who  had  been  thrice  across  the  high 
seas  upon  his  own  account. 

Post-captain  was  a  term  frequently  used  in  the 
Royal  navy  and  the  IT.  S.  navy  to  distinguish 
captains  commanding  frigates,  from  master-com 
mandants  or  commanders  the  next  in  rank,  com 
manding  vessels  of  a  smaller  size,  who  in  com 
mon  conversation  were  and  are  called  "  captain." 
There  never  was  such  a  commission  as  "post- 
captain"  in  either  service. 

In  the  British  navy,  in  1747,  when  the  rank 
of  captain  was  first  clearly  defined,  those  captains 
who  commanded  post-ships,  or  what  are  now 
called  rated  ships,  in  the  Royal  navy  took  rank, 
if  of  three  years'  standing,  with  army  colonels, 
and  until  the  year  1824  the  Royal  Navy  List 
described  them  as  post-captains.  The  prefix 
"post"  then  disappeared  without  any  order  in 
council  or  warrant  being  issued. 

Until  1862  captain  was  the  highest  com 
missioned  rank  in  the  U.  S.  navy,  and  ranked 
with,  according  to  seniority  or  duty,  a  lieuten 
ant-colonel,  colonel,  or  brigadier-general.  Under 
the  present  organization  of  the  U.  S.  navy  a 
captain  has  assimilated  rank  with  a  colonel  in 
the  army.— G.  H.  Preble,  Rear- Admiral  U.S.N. 

A  captain  commands  a  vessel  of  the  second 
class,  or  a  vessel  of  the  first  class  under  an  ad 
miral,  vice-  or  rear-admiral,  or  a  commodore ; 
may  be  employed-  as  aid  to  any  grade  of  ad 
miral  ;  as  chief  of  staff  to  a  naval  force  or  de 
tached  division,  commanded  by  a  rear-admiral 
or  commodore  ;  on  duty  under  a  bureau  ;  act  as 
second  in  command  of  shore-stations,  and  may 
command  small  practice  or  flying  squadrons. 
See  COMMANDING  OFFICER. 

The  name  is  also  given  to  certain  leading  men 
in  the  ship's  company ;  as,  captain  of  a  gun, 
captains  of  tops,  forecastle,  afterguard,  hold,  etc. 

Captain  is  also  the  popular  title  of  the  master 
of  a  merchant  vessel. 

Captain  of  Navy-yard.  The  line-officer  next 
in  rank  to  the  commandant  of  the  yard ;  he  com- 


CAPTAIN'S   CLOAK 


113 


CAREEN 


mands  during  the  temporary  absence  of  the  com 
mandant,  but  has  no  authority  to  change  the 
established  routine.  He  has  special  charge  of 
the  police  and  the  enforcement  of  police  regula 
tions  ;  of  all  the  fires  and  lights  in  the  work 
shops,  and,  after  working  hours,  he  will  satisfy 
himself  that  there  is  no  danger  of  fire  through 
the  night ;  of  keeping  the  walks  and  grounds 
clean  and  in  good  condition  ;  of  the  berthing, 
moving,  and  mooring  vessels,  and  of  the  fire- 
and  other  tugs.  The  captain  of  the  yard  directs 
the  fire  department,  and  he  frequently  examines 
the  engines  and  all  apparatus  for  subduing  fires, 
reports  at  once  any  deficiencies,  and  once  a  month 
at  least,  in  writing,  their  actual  condition.  He 
causes  to  be  scrutinized  all  articles  and  packages 
passing  into  or  out  of  the  yard  ;  all  suspected  ar 
ticles  are  stopped  and  examined,  when,  if  found 
to  be  of  an  improper  character,  they  are  detained, 
and  a  report  made  to  the  commandant.  Each 
morning  all  passes  presented  at  the  gate  during 
the  preceding  day  are  delivered  to  the  captain  of 
the  yard  for  inspection  and  report.  He  has  no 
direct  authority  or  control  of  the  affairs  of  the 
yard  by  virtue  of  his  own  rank  or  position,  but 
it  is  his  duty  to  convey  to  the  heads  of  the  de 
partments  of  the  yard  such  orders  as  the  com 
mandant  desires  to  transmit  verbally  ;  and  it  is 
also  his  duty  to  visit  and  observe  all  parts  of  the 
navy-yard  and  its  establishments,  and  to  make 
such  reports  as  will  enable  the  commandant  to 
be  fully  informed  as  to  the  harmonious  working 
of  the  various  parts  of  the  station  under  his  com 
mand.  A  regular  journal  is  kept  under  his 
direction,  which  he  is  to  sign  daily  and  submit 
monthly  to  the  commandant  for  his  approval. 
In  it  must  be  entered  the  time  when  all  officers 
report  for  duty  at,  or  are  detached  from,  the 
yard,  when  any  vessel  is  received  for  repairs  or 
put  in  commission,  the  number  of  mechanics 
and  others  employed,  the  arrival  and  departure 
of  all  vessels  of  war  and  of  vessels  with  stores  of 
any  kind  for  the  yard,  the  time  when  any  vessel 
is  taken  into  or  removed  from  the  dock,  the  state 
of  the  wind  and  weather,  as  well  as  the  barometer 
and  thermometer,  and  the  other  principal  trans 
actions  of  the  yard. 

Captain's  Cloak  (Ena.}.  The  jocose  name 
given  to  the  thirty-sixth  article  of  war:  "All 
other  crimes  not  capital,  and  for  which  no  pun 
ishment  is  hereby  directed  to  be  inflicted,  shall 
be  punished  according  to  the  laws  and  customs 
in  such  cases  used  at  sea." 

Captive.  A  prisoner  taken  by  force  or  strata 
gem  in  war  by  an  enemy.  Kept  in  bondage  or 
confinement. 

Captor.  One  who  takes  a  prisoner,  prize,  or 
place  in  war.  See  INTERNATIONAL  LAW,  PRIZE. 

Capture.  The  act  of  taking.  To  take  a  pris 
oner,  prize,  or  place  in  war.  The  thing  taken. 
See  INTERNATIONAL  LAW,  PRIZE. 

Carack,  Carrak,  or  Carrick.  A  large  ship  of 
burden,  the  same  with  those  called  galleons. 
Hippus,  the  Tyrian,  is  said  to  have  first  devised 
caracks,  and  onerary  vessels  of  prodigious  bulk 
for  traffic  or  offense.  See  CARRAC. 

Caracora.  A  proa  of  Borneo,  Ternate,  and 
the  Eastern  Isles ;  also  called  caracol  by  early 
voyagers. 

Caramoussal.  A  Turkish  merchant  ship  with 
a  pink-stern. 

Caravel,  or  Caravela.  A  Portuguese  dispatch- 
8 


boat,  lateen-rigged,  formerly  in  use;  it  had 
square-sails  only  on  the  foremast,  though  dig 
nified  as  a  caravela. 

Caravelao.  A  light  pink-sterned  vessel  of 
the  Azores. 

Carbasse.     See  KARBATZ. 

Carbin.  A  name  for  the  basking  shark  (which 
see). 

Carcass.  A  shell  for  incendiary  purposes, 
filled  with  a  very  fiercely  flaming  composition 
of  saltpetre,  sulphur,  resin,  turpentine,  anti 
mony,  and  tallow.  It  has  three  vents  for  the 
flame,  and  sometimes  is  equipped  with  pistol- 
barrels,  so  fitted  in  its  interior  as  to  discharge 
their  bullets  at  various  times.  The  ribs,  keel, 
stem,  and  stern-post  of  a  ship  after  the  planks 
are  stripped  off. 

Carcatus  (from  caricato,  It.).  A  law-term 
for  a  freighted  ship. 

Card.  The  dial  or  face  of  the  magnetic  com 
pass, — probably  derived  from  cardinal. 

Cardinal  (Lat.  cardinalis,  literally  pertaining 
to  a  hinge,  cardo,  hence  that  on  which  other 
things  turn,  principal).  The  points  to  which, 
as  regards  position  and  motions,  others  are  re 
ferred.  Thus  we  have  "the  Cardinal  Points  of 
the  Compass,"  "the  Cardinal  Points  of  the 
Horizon,"  "  the  Cardinal  Points  of  the  Ecliptic." 

CARDINAL  POINTS  OF  THE  COMPASS.  The 
same  as  the  cardinal  points  of  the  horizon,  but 
with  reference  to  the  direction  of  the  magnetic 
needle.  They  are  named  North,  South,  East,  and 
West ;  the  most  important  of  which  is  the  North. 

CARDINAL  POINTS  OF  THE  HORIZON.  The 
four  cardinal  points  of  the  horizon  are  the  North 
(N.),  South  (S.),  East  (E.),  and  West  (W.).  The 
north  and  south  points  are  where  the  meridian 
intersects  the  horizon,  and  they  are  the  poles  of 
the  prime  vertical ;  the  east  and  west  points  are 
where  the  prime  vertical  intersects  the  horizon, 
and  are  the  poles  of  the  meridian.  The  north 
and  south  points  are  those  from  which  the  hori 
zontal  distance  from  the  meridian  of  all  bodies 
having  an  altitude  is  measured  ;  the  east  point  is 
that  to  which  their  rising,  and  the  west  point 
that  to  which  their  setting,  is  referred. 

CARDINAL  POINTS  OF  THE  ECLIPTIC.  The 
four  cardinal  points  of  the  ecliptic  are  the  two 
points  of  its  intersection  with  the  equinoctial, 
called  the  Equinoctial  Points  ;  and  the  two  points 
where  it  attains  its  greatest  distance  from  tbe 
equinoctial,  called  the  Solstitial  Points.  With 
reference  to  the  seasons  of  the  northern  hemis 
phere,  these  are  named  the  Vernal  and  Autumnal 
Equinoctial  Points,  and  the  Summer  and  Winter 
Solstitial  Points.  These  are  more  commonly 
called  after  the  signs  of  the  ecliptic  in  which 
they  are  severally  situated :  the  First  Point  of 
Aries  (symbol  ^f)  and  the  First  Point  of  Libra 
(:£=),  the  First  Point  of  Cancer  (05)  and  the 
First  Point  of  Capricorn  (Itf).  The  Colures  in 
tersect  the  ecliptic  in  these  four  points.  The 
most  important  of  them  is  the  First  Point  of 
Aries,  as  from  it  right  ascensions  and  longitudes 
are  reckoned.  The  sun  is  in  <y>  about  March  21, 
in  05  about  June  21,  in  ^  about  September  21, 
and  in  V?  about  December  21. 

CARDINAL  WINDS.  Winds  from  due  north, 
south,  east,  or  west. 

Careen.  A  ship  is  said  to  careen  when  she 
inclines  to  one  side,  or  lies  over  when  sailing  on 
a  wind  ;  off  her  keel  or  carina. 


CAREY 


114 


CARTEK 


To  careen  a  vessel  is  to  heave  her  down  pre 
paratory  to  cleaning  or  repairing  her  bottom. 
See  HEAVING  DOWN. 

Carey.    See  MOTHER  CAREY'S  CHICKENS. 

Cargo.  The  merchandise  with  which  a  ship 
is  freighted. 

CARGO- JACK.  A  jack  used  on  its  side  in 
stowing  cargo,  for  forcing  heavy  articles  into 
place. 

CARGO-PORT.  The  aperture  through  which 
the  cargo  of  a  vessel  is  loaded  and  discharged. 
A  timber-port  is  in  the  bows  of  the  vessel. 

Caricatore.  Places  where  the  traders  of 
Sicily  take  in  their  goods,  from  caricare,  to 
load. 

Carina.  An  old  term,  from  the  Latin,  for 
the  keel  or  a  ship's  bottom. 

Carl,  or  Male-hemp.    See  FIMBLE,  or  FIM- 

BLE-HEMP. 

Carle-crab.  The  male  of  the  black-clawed 
crab,  Cancer  pagurus ;  also  of  the  partan,  or 
common  crab. 

Carline,  or  Carling.  A  short  timber  ranging 
fore-and-aft  from  one  deck-beam  to  another. 

CARLINE-KNEE.  A  knee  in  the  deck-framing, 
which  is  placed  against  a  carline. 

Cam-tangle.  A  long  and  large  fucus,  thrown 
on  beaches  after  a  gale  of  wind  in  the  offing. 

Carous.  A  sort  of  gallery  in  ancient  ships, 
which  turned  on  a  pivot.  It  was  hoisted  to  a 
given  height  by  tackles,  and  thus  brought  to 
project  over,  or  into,  the  vessel  of  an  adversary, 
furnishing  a  bridge  for  boarding. 

Carp.  A  well-known  fresh-water  fish  of  the 
Cyprinidce  family,  a  native  of  Persia,  considered 
to  have  been  introduced  into  England  in  the 
time  of  Henry  VIII. ;  but  in  Dame  Berner's 
book  on  angling,  published  in  1486,  it  is  de 
scribed  as  the  "  daynteous  fysshe"  in  England. 

Carpenter.  A  warrant-officer  whose  duty  is 
to  see  that  the  hull,  masts,  and  spars  of  the  ship 
are  kept  in  good  repair,  and  to  point  out  any 
and  all  defects  in  either  to  his  commanding 
officer.  It  is  his  duty  also,  with  the  men  under 
him,  to  take  charge  of  the  pumps,  and  to  stop 
shot-holes  in  time  of  action.  Carpenter  is  also 
the  rating  of  one  of  the  mechanics  belonging  to 
the  carpenter's  gang. 

CARPENTER'S  CREW,  or  GANG.  The  mechan 
ics  of  the  ship  not  belonging  to  the  engineer's  de 
partment;  as,  the  carpenter's  mate,  cooper,  etc. 

CARPENTER,  SHIP-.     A  builder  of  ships. 

Carrac,  Carraca,  Carrack,  or  Carricke.  A 
name  given  by  the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese  to 
the  vessels  they  sent  to  Brazil  and  the  East 
Indies ;  large,  round  built,  and  fitted  for  fight 
as  well  as  burden.  Their  capacity  lay  in  their 
depth,  which  was  extraordinary.  English  ves 
sels  of  size  and  value  were  sometimes  also  so 
called.  See  CARACK. 

Carrara.  The  great  northern  diver,  Colymbus 
fflacialis, 

Carriage.    See  GUN-CARRIAGE. 

Carrick-bend.  A  peculiar  bend  much  used 
for  bending  two  hawsers  together. 

Carrick-bitts.  The  bitts  which  support  the 
<ends  of  a  windlass,  called  also  windlass-bitts. 

Carronade.  A  gun,  capable  of  carrying  a 
large  ball,  and  useful  in  close  engagements  at 
sea.  It  took  its  name  from  the  large  iron- 
foundry  on  the  banks  of  the  Carron,  near  Fal- 
kirk,  in  Scotland,  where,  this  sort  of  ordnance 


was  first  made,  or  the  principle  applied  to  an 
improved  construction.  Shorter  and  lighter  than 
the  common  cannon,  and  having  a  chamber  for 
the  powder  like  a  mortar,  they  were  generally 
of  large  calibre,  and  carried  on  the  upper  works, 
as  the  poop  and  forecastle. 

Carry.  To  subdue  a  ship  by  boarding ;  to 
capture  a  fort  by  an  assault.  To  convey  or  pro 
pel  ;  as,  a  gun  carries  well, — that  is,  propels  the 
shot  to  a  great  distance.  To  bear  or  support ; 
as,  a  ship  carries  canvas,  guns,  or  cargo.  To 
carry  on,  to  conduct ;  as,  to  carry  on  duty  ;  also 
to  carry  sail  beyond  the  limits  of  prudence.  To 
carry  away,  to  break  ;  as,  to  carry  away  a  rope 
or  mast.  To  carry  the  keg,  &  smuggler's  phrase, 
meaning  to  continue.  See  LASH  AND  CARRY. 

Cartagena.  A  city  and  seaport  of  the  United 
States  of  Colombia,  on  a  small  sandy  peninsula, 
connected  with  the  continent  by  an  artificial 
neck  of  land.  Lat.  10°  25'  36"  N. ;  Ion.  75°  84' 
W.  The  bay,  which  is  landlocked  and  has  smooth 
water,  extends  from  north  to  south  7  miles,  and 
affords  excellent  anchorage.  There  were  two 
entrances  to  the  port, — the  Boca  Grande,  close 
to  the  town,  and  the  Boca  Chica,  farther  south. 
Two  strong  castles  defend  Boca  Chica,  which  is 
the  principal  entrance.  Pop.  9250. 

Cartagena.  A  city  and  the  chief  naval  arsenal 
of  Spain,  on  a  noble  bay  of  the  Mediterranean, 
27  miles  S.S.E.  of  Murcia.  Lat.  37°  36'  5".N.  ; 
Ion.  0°  56'  36"  W.  Pop.  55,000.  Its  harbor 
has  been  much  improved  by  the  construction  of 
moles.  An  island  on  the  south,  as  well  as  the 
city,  is  strongly  fortified.  In  its  western  division 
are  docks  for  building  men-of-war,  an  arsenal, 
and  a  floating-dock,  its  port  communicates  with 
the  Segura  River  by  the  Lorca  Canal. 

Carte  Blanche.  Authority  to  act  at  discre 
tion. 

Cartel.  In  military  parlance,  an  agreement 
for  the  exchange  of  prisoners.  Also  a  challenge 
to  fight  a  duel.  A  cartel-ship  is  one  commis 
sioned  in  time  of  war  to  convey  prisoners  for 
exchange,  or  to  carry  proposals  of  any  kind  be 
tween  belligerent  powers.  She  has  only  one  gun 
for  the  purpose  of  firing  signals,  as  the  officer 
who  commands  her  is  particularly  ordered  to 
carry  no  cargo,  ammunition,  or  implements  of 
war.  Cartel-ships,  by  trading  in  any  way,  are 
liable  to  confiscation. 

Carter,  John  C.,  Commodore  U.S.N.  Born 
in  Virginia.  Appointed  from  Kentucky  ;  sloop 
"Lexington,"  1827;  frigate  "  Delaware^,"  Med 
iterranean  Squadron,  1829-30;  commissioned 
as  lieutenant,  1837;  frigate  "Macedonian," 
West  India  Squadron,  1840;  receiving-ship, 
New  York,  1845;  steamer  "Mississippi,"  Home 
Squadron,  1846;  navy-yard,  Norfolk,  1847-48; 
frigate  "  Raritan,"  Pacific  Squadron,  1852-53  ; 
rendezvous,  New  York,  1855 ;  commissioned  as 
commander,  1855  ;  commanding  steamer  "  Mich 
igan,"  on  the  Lakes,  1861-64;  commissioned 
as  commodore,  July  16,  1862;  commanding  re 
ceiving-ship  "Vermont,"  New  York,  1865; 
light-house  inspector,  1866-69  ;  died  in  1871. 

Carter,  Samuel  P.,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Born  in  Carter  County,  Tennessee.  Appointed 
from  Tennessee,  February  14,  1840  ;  promoted  to 
passed  midshipman,  July  11,  1846;  "Ohio,"  74, 
Home  Squadron,  1846-47  ;  present  at  capture  of 
Vera  Cruz  ;  commissioned  as  lieutenant,  April 
18,  1855;  steam-frigate  "  San  Jacinto,"  East  In- 


CAETEE 


115 


CAEVEL 


dia  Squadron,  1855-57 ;  at  attack  on  Barrier 
Forts,  Canton  Eiver,  China,  1856  ;  Naval  Acad 
emy,  1857-60;  steam-sloop  "  Seminole,"  Brazil 
Squadron,  1860-61 ;  returned  to  the  United 
States,  July  6,  1861 ;  July  11,  1861,  Lieutenant 
Carter  was  ordered  to  report  to  the  Secretary  of 
War  for  special  duty  ;  was  instructed  to  proceed 
to  East  Tennessee  and  raise  troops;  organized 
the  Tennessee  Brigade,  and  was  assigned  to  com 
mand  in  September,  1861,  with  acting  appoint 
ment  of  brigadier-general;  present  at  Wild  Cat, 
Kentucky,  at  Zollicoffer's  repulse,  October,  1861 ; 
at  battle  of  Mill  Springs,  January,  1862  ;  com 
manded  in  Southeastern  Kentucky  from  Febru 
ary,  1862,  to  April,  1862 ;  and  in  operations 
against  Cumberland  Gap,  March  and  May,  1862  ; 
commissioned  brigadier-general  May  1,  1862;  at 
capture  of  Cumberland  Gap,  June  17,  1862;  in 
Kanawha  Valley  in  October  and  November,  1862, 
at  which  time  the  rebel  troops  were  driven  out 
and  the  valley  re-occupied  by  Union  forces. 
Commanded  cavalry  expedition  into  East  Ten 
nessee,  tore  up  track  and  destroyed  bridges  on 
East  Tennessee  and  Virginia  Eailroad,  and  in 
several  engagements,  atHolston,  Carter's  Station, 
and  Jonesville,  defeated  rebel  troops  in  Decem 
ber,  1862,  and  January,  1863.  This  cavalry  raid, 
which  was  the  first  of  any  importance  made  by 
Union  troops  into  rebel  territory,  was  attended 
with  valuable  results,  not  only  from  amount  of 
damage  done  the  rebel  cause  from  destruction 
of  property,  loss  of  troops,  and  the  breaking  of 
their  principal  line  of  railway,  but  from  the  re 
lief  it  afforded  Gen.  Eosecrans  when  pressed 
at  Murfreesboro',  and  the  new  life  it  infused 
throughout  all  our  cavalry  commands.  For  this 
successful  raid  received  thanks  of  the  general- 
in-chief  of  the  army  in  general  orders ;  also  of 
the  commander  of  the  Department  of  the  Ohio, 
in  general  orders,  and  the  commander  of  the 
district  of  Kentucky ;  was  recommended  by 
latter  two  for  promotion  to  major-general ;  wa8 
assigned  to  command  of  division  of  Central 
Kentucky  in  March,  1863  ;  at  battle  of  Dutton's 
Hill,  March  31,  1863;  commanded  in  Southeast 
ern  Kentucky,  headquarters  at  Somerset,  from 
May  to  July,  1863  ;  defeated  Pegram's  forces  at 
Monticello  and  Beaver  Dam  in  May  and  June, 
1863,  and  Morgan  at  West's ;  was  thanked,  in 
general  orders,  by  the  commander  of  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  Ohio.  In  July,  1863,  was  assigned 
to  command  of  cavalry  division,  23d  Army 
Corps,  and  had  the  advance  when  Burnside  oc 
cupied  East  Tennessee,  in  August  and  Septem 
ber,  1863;  defeated  Morgan's  forces,  near  Emory, 
August  28, 1863,  and  Smith's,  at  Loudon,  August 
29 ;  present  at  siege  and  battle  of  Knoxville, 
November  and  December,  1863  ;  provost-mar 
shal-general  of  East  Tennessee,  September,  1863, 
to  January,  1865,  when  he  was  relieved  at  his 
own  request,  ordered  to  North  Carolina,  and  as 
signed  to  command  of  division  of  the  district  of 
Newbern ;  commanded  the  left  wing  at  battle 
of  Kinston  (Wise's  Fork),  N.  C.,  on  March  10, 
1865,  where  Bragg  was  defeated  ;  occupied  Golds- 
boro',  N.  C.,  March  20,  1865,  driving  out  the 
rebels  with  his  command ;  was  in  command  of 
the  place  during  its  occupancy  by  the  armies 
of  Gen.  Sherman ;  assigned  to  command  of  3d 
Division,  23d  Army  Corps,  April  7,  1865;  bre- 
vetted  major-general,  March  13,  1865 ;  was  in 
command  of  Western  North  Carolina  from  May, 


1865,  and  of  23d  Army  Corps  from  July  until 
relieved  from  duty  in  that  State  in  August,  1865 ; 
honorably  mustered  out  of  the  army  January, 
1866. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant-commander,  July 
16,  1862. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  June  23,  1865  ; 
commanding  steamer  "  Monocacy,"  Asiatic 
Squadron,  1866-69 ;  Naval  Academy,  as  com 
mandant  of  midshipmen,  1869-72. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  October  28,  1870; 
commanding  steam-sloop  "Alaska,"  European 
Station,  1872-75:  member  light-house  board, 
1876-80. 8 

Commissioned  as  commodore  in  1878. 

Carthoun.  The  ancient  cannon  royal,  carry 
ing  a  66-pound  ball,  with  a  point-blank  range  of 
185  paces,  and  an  extreme  one  of  about  2000. 
It  was  12  feet  long  and  of  8£  inches  diameter  of 
bore. 

Cartouch.  A  paper  case  containing  a  charge 
for  a  fire-arm.  A  case  filled  with  shot  to  be 
fired  from  a  cannon. 

Cartridge.  A  case  of  paper,  flannel,  or  sheet- 
metal  to  contain  a  charge  of  powder  for  a  fire 
arm.  For  muzzle-loading  small-arms  the  powder 
and  ball  are  inclosed  in  paper ;  for  breech-load 
ing  small-arms  the  powder  and  ball  are  enveloped 
in  a  sheet-metal  case,  which  also  contains  the 
fulminate  for  igniting  the  charge. 

The  cartridges  for  great  guns,  howitzers,  and 
mortars  are  put  up  in  bags  made  of  serge  cloth, 
woven  expressly  for  this  purpose,  being  entirely 
of  wool  and  of  a  close  uniform  texture.  It  is 
manufactured  in  pieces  of  29  yards  in  length, 
and  from  16  to  36  inches  in  width.  Eattinet, 
merino,  bombazette,  or  silk  cloth  can  be  used  if 
impossible  to  obtain  the  serge  cartridge-cloth. 
Cartridge-bags  are  made  of  two  shapes,  conical 
and  cylindrical,  and  are  sewed  with  worsted 
yarn.  They  are  white,  and  when  filled  are  tied 
with  woolen  thrums,  and  are  stenciled  in  black, 
with  the  calibre  of  gun  and  weight  of  charge. 
The  cartridge-bags  of  the  smooth-bore  howitzers 
are  fitted  with  a  brass  wire  ring  for  the  purpose 
of  attaching  them  to  the  sabot  of  the  projectile ; 
when  so  attached  the  cartridge  and  projectile  are 
called  a  round  of  fixed  ammunition. 

CARTRIDGE,  BALL-.  A  cartridge  for  small- 
arms  which  contains  a  projectile. 

CARTRIDGE-BOX.  A  small  box  made  of  har 
ness  leather,  worn  on  the  waist-belt,  to  contain 
cartridges  for  a  pistol  or  rifle.  See  PASSING- 
BOX. 

CARTRIDGE,  BLANK.  A  cartridge  which  does 
not  contain  a  projectile  It  is  used  only  for  firing 
salutes  or  making  signals. 

CARTRIDGE,  DUMMY.  A  block  of  wood  of 
the  size  and  shape  of  a  ball-cartridge,  for  use  in 
exercise  to  accustom  the  men  to  the  handling  of 
cartridges. 

CARTRIDGE,  METALLIC.  The  metallic  car 
tridges  used  in  the  navy  are  central  primed,  and 
are  purchased  as  required  from  private  manufac 
turers.  The  same  calibre  is  used  for  pistols, 
rifles,  and  machine-guns.  The  bullet  is  cylindro- 
conical  in  shape,  having  three  rings  and  a  con 
cave  base. 

Caruel.     See  CARVEL. 

Carved  Work.  The  ornaments  of  a  ship 
which  are  wrought  by  the  carver. 

Carvel.     A  light  lateen-rigged  vessel  of  small 


CARVEL-BUILT 


116 


CASING 


burden,  formerly  used  by  the  Spaniards  and 
Portuguese.  Also,  a  coarse  sea- blubber,  on 
which  turtles  are  said  to  feed. 

Carvel-built.  A  term  to  signify  that  the 
planks  of  a  boat  meet,  and  do  not  overlap  as  in 
a  clinker-built  boat. 

CARVEL-JOINT.     A  flush  joint. 

Cascabel.  The  part  of  a  gun  abaft  the  base 
of  the  breech. 

CASCABEL-BLOCK.  The  mass  of  iron  which 
fits  in  between  the  jaws  of  the  cascabel.  It  is 
removed  to  admit  the  bight  of  the  breeching. 

CASCABEL,  JAWS  OF  THE.  That  part  of  a 
cascabel  abaft  the  breeching-hole. 

CASCAB EL-PIN.  An  iron  pin  to  secure  the 
cascabel-block  in  the  jaws  of  the  cascabel. 

Casco.  A  rubbish-lighter  of  the  Philippine 
Islands. 

Case.     The  outside  planking  of  the  ship. 

Case,  Augustus  Ludlow,  Rear-Admiral 
U.S.N.  Born  in  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  February 
3,  1813.  Appointed  midshipman  April  1,  1828; 
first  order,  July,  1828,  to  receiving-ship  "  Robert 
Fulton,"  New  York;  first  cruise  in  frigate 
"  Hudson,"  Brazil  Squadron,  1828-31  ;  navy- 
yard,  New  York,  1832 ;  cruise  in  sloop-of-war 
"St.  Louis,"  West  Indies,  1832-33;  New  York 
Navy- Yard  and  School,  1833-34. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  June  14, 
1834 ;  navy-yard,  New  York,  1835 ;  schooner 
"Experiment,"  coast  survey,  1836;  bark  "Pi 
oneer,"  U.  S.  South  Sea  Surveying  and  Explor 
ing  Expedition,  1837. 

Commissioned  as  "  lieutenant  while  on  duty 
in  the  exploring  expedition,"  June,  1838;  store- 
ship  "Relief,"  exploring  expedition,  1838;  sloop- 
of-war  "  Vincennes,"  exploring  expedition, 
1839-42. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant,  February  25, 
1841;  cruise  in  frigate  "  Brandywine,"  East 
Indies,  1843-45.  During  Mexican  war:  In 
schooner  "  Mahonese,"  brig  "  Porpoise,"  frigate 
"  Raritan,"  sloops-of-war  "John  Adams"  and 
"  Germantown,"  Gulf  of  Mexico,  1846-48.  He 
was  present  at  and  participated  in  the  capture  of 
Vera  Crux,  Alvarado,  and  Tabasco.  After  the 
landing  of  the  troops  on  the  first  day,  was  in 
charge  of  the  beach  and  superintended  "the  land 
ing  of  men,  ordnance,  and  stores  for  the  invest 
ment  of  Vera  Cruz.  After  possession  of  Laguna 
was  taken  by  the  "  Porpoise,"  he  was  dispatched, 
in  a  "bungo"  having  one  of  the  "  Porpoise's" 
42-pounder  carronades  mounted  on  the  bow, 
with  Passed  Midshipman  F.  K.  Murray  and  25 
men,  up  the  Palisada  River  to  the  town  of  the 
same  name,  which  was  captured  and  hold  for  a 
fortnight  against  a  large  body  of  cavalry  which 
almost  daily  threatened  an  attack.  The  object 
of  holding  the  town  was  to  intercept  and  capture 
Gen.  Santa  Anna,  who,  it  was  supposed,  would 
endeavor  to  escape  to  Honduras,  via  the  Palisada 
passes.  Cruising  in  sloop-of-war  "  Vincennes," 
Pacific  Ocean,  1849-51 ;  commanding  sloop-of- 
war  "Warren,"  Pacific  Squadron,  1852-53; 
light-house  inspector,  third  district,  New  York, 
1853-57. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  September  14, 
1855 ;  waiting  orders  in  1858 ;  commanding 
steamer  "  Caledonia,"  Brazil  Squadron  and 
Paraguay  Expedition,  in  1859;  waiting  orders 
in  1860.  During  the  Rebellion:  In  March, 
1861,  just  at  the  commencement  of  the  Rebel 


lion,  Commander  Case  was  ordered  to  Washing 
ton  as  assistant  to  (then)  Commodore  Stringham, 
in  the  Office  of  Detail ;  but  on  the  assignment  of 
the  latter  to  the  command  of  the  North  Atlantic 
Blockading  Squadron,  he  was  appointed  fleet- 
captain  of  it,  and  with  him  joined  the  steam- 
frigate  "  Minnesota,"  at  Boston,  April  18.  Sub 
sequently,  served  in  the  same  position  with  Flag- 
Officer  L.  M.  Goldsborough  and  Acting  Rear- Ad 
miral  S.  P.  Lee,  who  were  successively  appointed 
to  command  the  fleet,  1861-62.  He  took  part  in 
the  capture  of  Forts  Clarke  and  Hatteras,  August 
28  and  29,  1861 ;  Roanoke  Island,  February  7 
and  8,  1862;  Sewell's  Point  (where,  in  passing 
the  heavy  fortifications  on  Craney  Island,  he 
landed  from  his  "tug"  and  hauled  down  the 
large  rebel  flag  there  flying)  and  Norfolk,  May 
10,  1862  ;  and  all  of  the  general  active  operations 
of  the  North  Atlantic  Fleet,  until  January,  1863, 
when,  it  being  understood  that  active  operations 
were  over,  and  that  the  duty  of  the  fleet  would 
be  mostly  confined  to  blockading,  he  was  assigned 
to  the  command  of  the  steam-sloop  "  Iroquois," 
which  was  fitted  to  look  after  the  "Alabama," 
but  was  afterward  attached  to  the  North  Atlan 
tic  Squadron.  In  charge  of  the  blockade  of  New 
Inlet,  N.  C.,  1863  ;  cut  out  the  steamer  "  Kate" 
from  under  Fort  Fisher  and  the  other  batteries 
at  New  Inlet,  aided  by  the  steamers  "James 
Adger"  and  "Mount  Vernon,"  in  August, 
1863. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  January  2,  1863; 
special  duty,  Washington,  in  1864;  navy-yard, 
New  York,  1864-65]  fleet-captain,  European 
Squadron,  1865-66. 

Commissioned  as  commodore,  December  8, 
1867 ;  light-house  inspector,  third  district,  New 
York,  1867-69. 

Chief  of  Bureau  of  Ordnance,  1869-73. 

Commissioned  as  rear-admiral,  May  24,  1872; 
commanding  European  Squadron,  1873-75,  and 
combined  European  North  and  South  Atlantic 
Fleets,  assembled  at  Key  West,  Fla.,  1874,  for 
special  service  in  connection  with  the  steamer 
"  Virginius"  difficulties,  and  for  ordnance,  tor 
pedo,  and  fleet  practice  and  tactics,  etc.  Total 
sea  service,  twenty-four  years  ten  months ;  shore 
or  other  duty,  twelve  years. 

Case-book.  A  register  or  journal  in  which 
the  surgeon  records  the  cases  of  all  the  sick  and 
wounded  who  are  placed  under  medical  treat 
ment. 

Case-shot.    See  CANISTER. 

CASE-SHOT,  SPHERICAL.     See  SHRAPNEL. 

Cash.  A  Chinese  copper  coin  having  a  square 
hole  in  the  centre.  It  bears  on  one  side  the  name 
of  the  province  in  which  it  is  cast  and  the  Chi 
nese  word  money  ;  on  the  other  side  are  the  Chi 
nese  words  "  current  money"  and  the  name  of  the 
reigning  emperor.  It  is  the  only  native  coin, 
and  is  called  tsien  by  the  Chinese  and  sapeque  by 
the  French. 

Casing.  The  lining,  veneering,  or  planking 
over  a  ship's  timbers,  especially  for  the  cabin- 
beams  ;  the  sheathing.  A  bulkhead  round  a 
mast  to  prevent  the  interference  of  cargo,  or 
shifting  materials. 

In  steam  enginery,  a  covering  applied  to 
boilers,  steam  pipes,  cylinders,  etc.,  to  prevent 
radiation  of  heat.  It  is  generally  composed  of 
hair  felt,  protected  by  wood  or  sheet  metal 
sheathing.  Asbestos  cement,  plaster  of  Paris, 


CASK 


117 


CAT-BOAT 


and  empty  air-tight  spaces  are  frequently  sub 
stituted  for  the  felt. 

Cask.     A  strong  barrel  for  containing  fluids. 

Casket.     See  GASKET. 

Cassava,  or  Cassada.  A  species  of  the  genus 
Jatropha  janipha,  well  known  to  seamen  as  the 
cassava  bread  of  the  West  Indies.  Tapioca  is 
produced  from  the  Jatropha  manihot.  Caution 
is  necessary  in  the  use  of  these  roots,  as  the  juice 
is  poisonous. 

Cassin,  Stephen,  Commodore  U.S.N.  Born 
in  Philadelphia,  February  16,  1783;  died  at 
Georgetown,  D.  C.,  August  29,  1857.  Entered 
the  navy  as  midshipman,  February  21,  1800; 
became  lieutenant,  February  12,  1807 ;  master, 
September  11,  1814;  captain,  March  3,  1825. 
Served  with  distinction  in  the  war  with  Tripoli ; 
commanded  the  "  Ticonderoga,"  in  McDon- 
ough's  victory  on  Lake  Champlain ;  was  re 
warded  by  Congress  with  a  gold  medal  for 
bravery  in  that  action,  and  was  a  terror  to  the 
pirates'  who  infested  the  West  Indies,  and  cap 
tured  four  of  their  vessels,  September  28,  29, 
1822. 

Cassiopeia  (named  after  the  mythical  wife  of 
Cepheus).  A  constellation  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  pole  to  the  Great  Bear,  and  at  about  the 
same  distance  from  it.  It  consists  of  a  group  of 
stars  of  the  third  and  fourth  magnitude,  disposed 
in  a  form  somewhat  resembling  a  chair,  a  Cas 
siopeia  is,  of  the  six  principal  stars,  the  farthest 
from  the  pole. 

Cast.  A  term  meaning  four;  applied  to  her 
rings,  haddocks,  etc.  The  heaving  of  the  lead 
into  the  sea  to  ascertain  the  depth  of  water.  The 
act  of  casting  anything  in  a  mold.  To  force  a 
ship's  head  off  from  the  wind  on  getting  under 
way.  Acast,  abox,  the  position  of  the  head- 
yards  in  casting.  To  cast  off,  to  throw  off;  to 
let  go.  To  cast  anchor,  to  come  to  anchor, — an 
expression,  however,  which  is  never  used  in  the 
navy.  To  cast  up  accounts,  to  vomit, — the  effect 
of  sea-sickness.  To  cast  loose  a  gun  is  to  get  it 
ready  for  action. 

CAST-AWAY.     Wrecked. 

CAST-AWAYS.  The  people  belonging  to  a 
wreck ;  men  who  are  left  behind  when  a  vessel 
goes  to  sea. 

CAST-OFFS.  The  citizen's  clothing  abandoned 
by  sailors  on  enlisting  in  the  navy. 

Cast  Knees.  The  hanging  knees  which  crook 
or  arch  over  the  corners  of  the  gun-ports,  riders, 
etc. 

Castle-wright.  An  artificer  employed  in  the 
erection  of  castles  in  early  ships. 

Castor,     a2  Geminorum. 

Castor  and  Pollux.  Fiery  balls  sometimes 
seen  flickering  about  the  ma'st-heads  and  yard- 
arms  during  a  gale.  See  ST.  ELMO'S  FIRE. 

Casualty.  That  which  comes  without  design  ; 
an  event  inevitable  and  not  to  be  guarded 
against. 

CASUALTIES.  A  word  comprehending  all 
men  who  die,  desert,  or  are  discharged. 

Cat.  A  ship  formed  on  the  Norwegian  model, 
usually  employed  in  the  coal  and  timber  trade, 
and  generally  built  remarkably  strong.  A  cat 
is  distinguished  by  a  narrow  stern,  projecting 
quarters,  a  deep  waist,  and  no  ornamental  figure 
on  the  prow.  An  instrument  of  punishment 
formerly  used  in  the  navy.  (See  CAT  o'  NINE 
TAILS.)  The  purchase  used  to  hoist  the  anchor 


from  the  hawse-hole  to  the  cat-head.  To  cat  the 
anchor,  to  hoist  it  up  to  the  cat-head  arid  pass 
the  ring-stopper. 

CAT-BACK.  A  line  from  the  cat-block  to  assist 
in  hooking  it  to  the  ring  of  the  anchor. 

CAT-BEAM,  or  BEAK-HEAD  BEAM.  In  former 
times  the  forward  ends  of  the  ships  of  war  were 
finished  square  across  the  ship  at  the  upper  part 
instead  of  rounding  to  the  ends  as  nowadays, 
and  the  cat-heads  were  attached  to  each  end  of 
this  beam.  The  beam  was  generally  made  in 
two  breadths,  being  a  very  wide  beam,  and 
tabled  and  bolted  together ;  the  forward  side  was 
placed  far  enough  forward  to  receive  the  heads 
of  the  stanchions  of  the  beak-head  bulkhead. 

CAT-BLOCK.  A  heavy,  double,  or  threefold 
iron-bound  block  having  a  hook  fitted  with  a 
link  ;  used  in  catting  the  anchor. 

CAT-HEAD.  The  timber  that  projects  over  the 
bows,  and  to  which  the  anchor  is  hoisted. 

CAT-FALL.  The  rope  reeving  through  the 
cat-block  and  sheaves  of  the  cat-head,  forming 
the  purchase  called  the  cat. 

CAT-STOPPER,  or  CAT-HEAD  STOPPER.  The 
ring-stopper. 

CAT-TAIL.     The  inner  end  of  the  cat-head. 

Catalan.     A  small  Spanish  fishing-boat. 

Catamaran.  A  sort  of  raft  used  in  the  East 
Indies,  Brazils,  and  elsewhere ;  those  of  the 
island  of  Ceylon,  like  those  of  Madras  and  other 
parts  of  that  coast,  are  formed  of  three  logs 
secured  together  by  means  of  three  spreaders 
and  cross  lashings,  through  small  holes ;  the 
centre  log  is  much  the  largest,  with  a  curved 
surface  at  the  fore-end,  which  tends  and  finishes 
upwards  to  a  point.  The  side  logs  are  similar 
in  form,  and  fitted  to  the  centre  log.  These 
floats  are  navigated  with  great  skill  by  one  or  two 
men,  in  a  kneeling  position;  they  think  nothing 
of  passing  through  the  surf  which  lashes  the 
beach  at  Madras  and  at  other  parts  of  these 
coasts,  when  even  the  boats  of  the  country  could 
not  live  upon  the  waves;  they  are  also  propelled 
out  to  the  shipping  at  anchor  when  boats  of  the 
best  construction  and  form  would  be  swamped. 
Their  length  is  from  20  to  25  feet,  breadth  2£  to 
3£  feet,  and  the  timber  preferred  for  their  con 
struction  is  the  Dup  wood,  or  Cherne-Maram, 
the  pine  varnish-tree. 

Catanadromi.  Migratory  fishes,  which  have 
their  stated  times  of  going  from  fresh  water  to 
salt  and  returning,  as  the  salmon,  etc. 

Catania,  a  city  of  Sicily,  on  its  east  coast,  54 
miles  by  rail  N.N.W.  of  Syracuse.  Lat.  37° 
28'  20"  N.  ;  Ion.  15°  ¥  15"  E.  The  harbor  is 
not  adequate  to  the  importance  of  the  city,  but 
it  is  generally  full  of  small  craft.  It  is  small, 
and  during  a  strong  sirocco  no  ship  can  enter. 
Pop.  85,000. 

Catascopia.  Small  vessels  anciently  used  for 
reconnoitring  and  carrying  dispatches. 

Cat-boat.  A  shallow,  saucer-like  boat  draw 
ing  little  water  and  fitted  with  a  centre-board. 
The  forward  part  is  decked  over,  and  the  mast 
is  stepped  close  to  the  stem.  It  has  but  one 
sail,  which  is  extended  by  a  gaff  and  a  long 
boom.  It  can  be  easily  handled  by  one  person, 
and  its  management  is  easily  learned.  Its  length 
varies  from  10  to  40  feet,  but  the  greater  number 
are  over  15  and  under  25  feet  in  length.  It  is 
the  typical  American  sail-boat,  the  cat-rig  being 
scarcely  known  in  Europe. 


CATCH 


118 


CELESTIAL 


Catch.  A  fisherman's  term  for  the  number 
of  fish  taken  at  one  time. 

Catch  a  Crab.  In  rowing,  if  the  oar  be  im 
mersed  too  deep  in  the  water  the  blade  is  carried 
aft  and  the  loom  thrown  forward,  thus  jamming 
the  oar  in  the  rowlock  ;  the  boat's  headway  must 
be  checked  before  it  can  be  recovered.  This 
mishap  is  termed  catching  a  crab. 

Catch  a  Turn.  To  belay,  or  take  a  turn 
quickly. 

Catch-fake.  An  unseemly  doubling  in  a  badly 
coiled  rope. 

Catenary.  The  curve  formed  by  a  rope  hang 
ing  freely  between  two  points  of  suspension. 

Caterer.  A  purveyor  and  provider  of  pro 
visions.  Each  mess  of  officers  selects  a  caterer 
from  their  number,  and  his  duties  are  to  preside 
at  the  mess-table  and  to  manage  and  direct  all 
the  affairs  of  the  mess ;  he  keeps  an  account  of 
the  receipts  and  expenditures,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  month  renders  a  statement  of  his  accounts. 

Cat-fish.  The  sea-cat  or  sea- wolf  (Anarrhicas 
lupus),  often  six  feet  in  length.  Also  a  fresh 
water  fish  of  the  genus  Pitnelodus.  The  common 
cat-fish  is  also  called  bull-head  and  horned  pout. 

Cat-gut.  A  term  applied  to  the  sea-laces,  or 
Fucusjiium. 

Cat-harpings,  or  Cat-harpins.  Short  ropes 
used  to  bind  in  the  rigging  in  the  wake  of  the 
topsail-yards,  that  the  yard  may  be  braced  sharp 
up. 

Cathay.     Marco  Polo's  name  for  India. 

Cathode.  Faraday's  term  for  the  negative 
pole  of  a  battery. 

Cat-holes.  Holes  through  the  quarter  through 
which  are  passed  the  hawsers  for  fasts  and 
springs. 

Cat-lap.     Tea,  or  weak  drink. 

Cat  o'  Nine  Tails.  An  instrument  formerly 
used  for  flogging  in  the  navy.  It  consisted  of 
nine  pieces  of  cord,  with  three  knots  in  each, 
fixed  on  a  short  piece  of  thick  rope  as  a  handle. 
"With  this  the  offender  was  flogged  on  the  bare 
back.  See  FLOGGING. 

Catraia.  Portuguese  surf-  or  pilot-boats. 
They  are  generally  about  56  feet  long  by  15  feet 
beam,  and  are  impelled  by  16  oars. 

Cat-rig.     See  CAT-BOAT. 

Cat's-paw.  A  light  air  which  slightly  ruffles 
the  surface  of  the  sea.  Cat's-paws  occur  during 
calms,  and  are  transitory  in  their  nature.  Super 
stitious  sailors  scratch  the  booms,  masts,  or  back 
stays  to  invoke  even  these  cat's-paws,  as  they  are 
the  forerunners  of  a  steady  breeze.  Cat's-paw 
is  also  a  name  given  to  a  peculiar  twisting  hitch 
in  the  bight  of  a  rope,  making  two  smaller 
bights,  into  which  a  tackle  is  hooked. 

Cat's-skin.  The  impression  made  by  a  cat's- 
paw  on  the  surface  of  the  sea. 

Cattan.     A  Japanese  sword. 

Catty.  A  Chinese  commercial  weight  of  18 
ounces.  Tea  is  packed  in  one  or  more  catty- 
boxes  ;  hence  most  likely  our  word  tea-caddy. 

Caudal  Fin.  The  fin  terminating  the  tail  of 
a  fish. 

Caudicarise.  A  kind  of  lighter  used  by  the 
Romans  on  the  Tiber. 

Caul.  The  membrane  encompassing  the  heads 
of  some  infants  when  born,  and  from  early  an 
tiquity  esteemed  an  omen  of  good  fortune  and  a 
preservation  against  drowning.  Also,  a  name 
for  a  dam-dike. 


Caulk.     See  CALK. 

Caury.     "Worm-eaten. 

Cavallo,  or  Carvalhas.  A  salt-water  fish, 
well  known  as  the  bonito,  or  horse-mackerel. 

Cavalot.   A  gun  carrying  a  ball  of  one  pound. 

Caver.  A  word  used  in  the  Hebrides  for  a 
gentle  breeze. 

Caviare.  A  preparation  of  the  roe  of  stur 
geons  and  other  fish  salted.  It  forms  a  lucrative 
branch  of  commerce  in  Italy  and  Russia. 

Cavil.  A  large,  square  wooden  pin  fixed  in  a 
pin-rail  to  which  are  belayed  the  larger  ropes ; 
as,  topsail-halliards,  yard-ropes,  etc.  Sometimes 
the  word  is  applied  to  a  large  cleat. 

Cavity.  The  hollow  in  the  water  formed  by 
the  immersed  bottom  and  sides  of  a  vessel. 

Cavo-fungo.    A  boat  or  mud-machine  used  by 
the  Venetians  to  clean  out  canals. 
•   Cawe,  or  Cawfe.     A  floating  cage,  in  which 
eels,  lobsters,  etc.,  are  kept. 

Cawker.  An  old  term  to  signify  a  glass  of 
spirits  taken  early  in  the  morning ;  an  eye- 
opener. 

Cay,  or  Cayos.  Small  insulated  sandy  spots 
or  rocks.  See  KEY. 

Cayenne.  A  town  of  South  America,  capital 
of  French  Guiana,  on  the  western  point  of  an 
island  of  the  same  name,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Cayenne  or  Oyaque  River,  in  the  Atlantic.  Lat. 
4°  56'  5"  N. ;  Ion.  52°  20'  W.  The  harbor  is 
shallow,  has  two  quays,  and  is  protected  by  a 
fort  and  several  batteries.  Cayenne  is  a  penal 
settlement  for  French  political  and  criminal 
offenders.  Pop.  10,500. 

C.  B.  (Eng.}.  The  uncials  of  Companion  of 
the  most  honorable  order  of  the  Bath.  This 
grade  was  at  one  time  distributed  so  profusely 
that  an  undecorated  veteran  testily  remarked  that 
if  the  government  went  on  thus  there  would  soon 
be  more  C.B.'s  than  A.B.'s  in  the  navy. 

Cease  Firing.     The  order  to  stop  firing. 

Ceiling.  Strakes  of  plank  worked  between 
the  clamps  and  water-ways  on  berth-decks,  and 
between  the  thick  strakes  and  clamps,  and  thick 
strakes  and  bilge- strakes  in  the  hold. 

Celestial  (Lat.  ccelestis,  from  ccelum,  the 
heavens).  Pertaining  to  the  heavens;  opposed 
to  terrestrial.  Thus  we  have  the  "  celestial  me 
ridian,"  the  "celestial  horizon,"  the  "  celestial 
equator,"  etc. 

CELESTIAL  CONCAVE  (Lat.  concavus,  hollow). 
Of  the  two  spherical  surfaces  with  which  we  are 
concerned,  the  terrestrial  sphere  is  convex, — i.e., 
presents  its  external  surface  to  us  ;  while  the 
celestial  sphere  is  concave, — i.e.,  presents  its  in 
ternal  surface  to  us.  The  different  heavenly 
bodies  are  interspersed  in  space  at  various  dis 
tances  from  the  earth,  but  to  an  observer  on  its 
surface  all  of  them  appear  to  be  placed  or  pro 
jected  on  the  internal  surface  of  a  hollow  sphere. 
This  sphere  is  called  the  celestial  concave,  celestial 
sphere,  sphere  of  the  heavens,  or  sphere  of  the 
stars,  its  centre  being  the  position  of  the  observer. 
It  must  always  be  remembered  that  the  celestial 
concave  is  an  imaginary  surface,  arising  in  the 
mind  of  the  observer  either  from  association  with 
the  real  concave  surface  of  the  retina  of  his  eye, 
which  is  the  true  seat  of  all  visible  angular  di 
mensions  and  angular  motion,  or  from  the  in 
ability  of  the  eye  to  perceive  differences  of  dis 
tances  in  objects  so  remote  as  the  heavenly 
bodies. 


CELL 


119 


CHAMBER 


CELESTIAL  EMPIRE.  A  popular  designation  for 
China.  It  is  said  to  be  derived  from  the  Chinese 
words  Tien  Chan,  that  is,  Heavenly  Dynasty, 
meaning  the  kingdom  ruled  over  by  the  dynasty 
appointed  by  heaven. 

Cell.    See  GALVANIC  BATTERY. 

Celoces,  or  Celetes.  Light  row-boats  formerly 
used  in  piracy,  and  also  for  conveying  dispatches. 

Centaurus  (Lat.  "The  Centaur").  A  con 
stellation  which,  together  with  Crux,  constitutes 
a  bright  group  in  the  southern  hemisphere, 
pointed  out  by  the  line  joining  Arcturus  and 
Spica.  The  two  principal  stars  a2  and  (3  of  the 
Centaur  are  close  together,  (3  being  the  nearer  to 
the  cross. 

Centigrade  (Lat.  centum,  a  hundred ;  gradus, 
a  step,  graduation).  See  THERMOMETER. 

Centime  (Fr.).  The  hundredth  part  of  a 
franc. 

Central  Eclipse.     See  ECLIPSE. 

Centre.     The  middle  part  of  anything. 

CENTRE-FIRE  CARTRIDGE.  A  metallic  car 
tridge  in  which  the  fulminate  occupies  an  axial 
position. 

CENTRE-LINE.  The  line  which  is  the  exact 
centre  of  the  ship,  either  in  the  drawings  or  upon 
the  ship's  hull. 

CENTRE  OF  A  FLEET.  The  division  between 
the  van  and  rear,  or  between  the  weather  and  lee 
divisions. 

CENTRE  OF  ATTRACTION,  or  GRAVITATION. 
The  point  to  which  bodies  tend  by  gravity. 

CENTRE  OF  BUOYANCY,  OF  DISPLACEMENT, 
OF  CAVITY,  AND  OF  IMMERSION.  Synonymous 
terms  in  naval  architecture  for  the  mean  centre 
of  that  part  of  a  vessel  which  is  immersed  in  the 
water. 

CENTRE  OF  EFFORT.  A  point,  to  which  the 
whole  force  of  the  wind  on  the  sails  being  ap 
plied,  the  eifect  produced  is  the  same  as  that 
caused  by  the  wind  when  uniformly  distributed 
on  the  system  of  sails. 

CENTRE  OF  GRAVITY.  That  point  of  a  body 
about  which  all  the  parts  exactly  balance  each 
other,  so  that  if  it  be  supported  the  whole  body 
will  be  at  rest  in  any  position  whatever. 

CENTRE  OF  MOTION.  The  point  about  which 
any  body,  or  system  of  bodies,  moves. 

Ceola.     A  very  old  term  for  a  large  ship. 

Cephalopod.  An  animal  of  the  sub-kingdom 
Mollusca,,  characterized  by  a  distinct  head  sur 
rounded  by  a  circle  of  long  arms  or  tentacles. 

Cepheus.  a  Cephei,  Alderanim ;  f3  Cephei, 
Alphirk.  See  CONSTELLATION. 

Ceradene.     A  large  fresh-water  mussel. 

Cercuri.  Ancient  ships  of  burden  fitted  with 
both  sails  and  oars. 

Certificate  of  Registry.  A  document  which 
specifies  the  names  of  the  vessel,  master,  and 
owners,  together  with  the  tonnage,  particulars  as 
to  origin,  and  the  port  to  which  the  vessel  be 
longs. 

Cetacea  (Gr.  katos,  a  whale).  An  order  of 
mammals  living  in  the  sea  or  large  rivers,  and 
shaped  like  fishes  for  moving  habitually  in  the 
watery  element,  having  the  posterior  part  of 
the  spine  disencumbered  of  a  sacrum  and  hinder 
extremities  to  allow  the  tail  to  have  a  due  free 
dom  and  extent  of  motion.  They  breathe 
air,  have  warm  blood,  and  a  double  circulation, 
like  the  rest  of  the  class  to  which  they  belong  ; 
they  are  consequently  compelled  to  resort  to  the 


surface  for  the  purpose  of  respiration ;  and  the 
tail-tin  is  accordingly  horizontal  and  not  vertical, 
as  in  some  fishes. 

Cetine.  An  ancient  float,  "in  bulk  like  a 
whale;"  derived  from  cetus,  which  applied  both 
to  whale  and  ship. 

Cetus.  a  Ceti,  Menkar  ;  ft  Ceti,  Diphda.  See 
CONSTELLATION. 

C.  G.  (Eng.}.  Coast-guard  of  Great  Britain 
(which  see). 

Chad.  A  fish  like  a  small  bream,  abundant 
on  the  southwest  coasts  of  England. 

Chafe.  To  rub  or  fret  the  surface  of  cables, 
masts,  yards,  etc. 

CHAFING-CHEEKS.  An  old  name  for  the 
sheaves  in  the  yards. 

CHAFING-GEAR.  Mats,  strands,  battens,  etc., 
for  protecting  objects  from  injury  by  chafing. 

Chaffer.     A  name  for  a  whale  or  grampus. 

Chain.  A  series  of  connected  links.  A  chain- 
cable.  A  lineal  measure  of  4  rods,  or  66  feet, 
divided  into  100  links.  When  mountains,  lakes, 
or  islands  are  joined  together  so  that  their  length 
greatly  exceeds  their  breadth,  they  form  what  is 
termed  a  chain. 

CHAIN-CABLE.     See  CABLE. 

CHAIN-HOOK.  An  iron  rod  with  a  hook  at 
one  end  and  an  eye  for  the  hand  in  the  other, 
used  in  working  the  chain-cables. 

CHAIN-LOCKER.  A  locker  in  the  hold  in  which 
the  chain-cables  are  stowed. 

CHAIN-PIPE.  An  aperture  in  the  deck  through 
which  pass  the  chains  from  the  locker  to  the 
deck  above. 

CHAIN,  TOP-.  A  chain  to  sling  the  lower  yard 
in  action. 

CHAIN- STOPPER.     See  STOPPER. 

CHAIN-WELL.     See  CHAIN-LOCKER. 

Chains.  Iron  links  which  secure  the  dead- 
eyes  connected  with  the  channels.  See  CHAN 
NELS. 

CHAIN-BOLT.  The  bolt  which  passes  through 
the  toe-links  and  secures  the  chains  to  the  side. 

CHAIN-PLATES.  Iron  plates  to  which  the 
dead-eyes  are  secured  ;  they  are  often  substituted 
for  chains,  being  considered  preferable. 

Chain-shot.  Two  balls  connected  by  a  chain 
for  cutting  the  spars  and  rigging  of  an  enemy's 
ship. 

Chaland.  A  large  flat-bottomed  boat  of  the 
Loire. 

Chalder.     A  gudgeon. 

Chaldrick.  A  name  for  the  sea-pie  (Hceman- 
topus  ostralegus}. 

Chaldron.  A  measure  of  coal  equal  to  36 
bushels. 

Chalink.     A  kind  of  Massoolah  boat. 

Challenge.  The  hail  of  a  sentry  to  a  person 
approaching.  See  DUEL. 

Chamaeleon.     See  CONSTELLATION. 

Chamber.  A  contraction  of  the  bore  of  a  gun 
which  receives  the  charge  of  powder.  The 
chamber  in  general  use  is  the  conical  or  gomer 
chamber.  The  ballistic  power  of  some  of  the 
European  guns  has  been  augmented  by  adding  to 
the  weight  of  the  charge  and  igniting  it  in  a 
space  considerably  larger  than  that  occupied  by 
the  powder.  This  increased  space  is  obtained 
by  enlarging  the  chamber.  If  the  charge  had 
not  been  increased  the  air-space  would  have 
caused  a  diminution  both  in  velocity  and  press 
ure,  the  latter  decreasing  in  a  greater  ratio  than 


CHAMFER 


120 


CHAKLES'S  WAIN 


the  former;  but,  by  judiciously  increasing  the 
weight  of  the  charge,  it  has  been  possible  to  gen 
erate  a  greater  volume  of  gas  behind  the  projec 
tile  without  carrying  the  maximum  pressure  be- 
vond  that  which  obtained  when  the  old  cartridge 
and  full  chamber  were  used. 

A  clear  space  between  the  riders  in  those  ves 
sels  which  have  floor  and  futtock  riders. 

CHAMBER-PIECE.  A  movable  piece  to  fit  into 
the  breech  of  old  guns.  See  GINGAL. 

Chamfer.  To  cut  or  take  off  a  sharp  edge  or 
angle. 

Champlin,  Stephen,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Born  at  South  Kingston,  B.  L,  November  17, 
1789;  died  at  Buffalo,  February  20,  1870.  His 
father,  Stephen,  was  a  volunteer  in  the  American 
Revolution.  His  mother,  Elizabeth  Perry,  was 
an  aunt  of  Commodore  Perry.  At  16  he  began  a 
sea-faring  life,  and  at  22  commanded  a  ship  out  of 
Norwich.  May  22, 1812,  he  was  appointed  sail 
ing-master  in  the  navy  ;  lieutenant,  December  9, 
1814;  commander,  June  22,  1838;  captain,  Au 
gust  4,  1850 ;  and  commodore  on  retired  list, 
July  16,  1882.  He  first  commanded  a  gunboat 
under  Perry  at  Newport ;  was  second  in  the 
command  of  the  "  Asp"  in  the  affairs  of  Little 
York  and  Fort  George,  U.  C.  ;  and,  joining 
Perry  at  Lake  Erie,  took  command  of  the 
"  Scorpion,"  in  which  he  did  good  service  at  the 
battle  of  September  10,  18l3,  capturing  the 
"  Little  Belt."  Of  this  battle,  in  which  he  fired 
the  first  and  last  guns,  he  was  the  last  surviving 
officer.  In  the  following  spring  he  commanded 
the  "Tigris,"  and,  while  blockading  Mackinac, 
was  attacked  at  night  by  an  overwhelming  force, 
severely  wounded,  and  made  prisoner.  In  1816 
he  commanded  the  "  Porcupine,"  but  performed 
little  subsequent  service  on  account  of  his  wound. 
He  was  a  resident  of  Buffalo  from  1834. 

Chancery,  In.     See  IRONS,  IN. 

Chancy.     Doubtful. 

Chandler,  Ship-.     A  dealer  in  naval  stores. 

Change.  The  voluntary  substitution  of  a 
different  voyage  for  a  merchant  ship  from  the 
one  originally  specified  or  agreed  upon, — an  act 
which  discharges  the  insurers. 

Changey-for-Changey.  An  expression  used 
in  relation  to  a  "swap,"  to  denote  that  each 
party  is  satisfied  with  his  bargain. 

Channel.  An  arm  of  the  sea  separating  an 
island  from  the  mainland,  or  two  islands  from 
each  other.  The  fair-way  or  deepest  part  of  a 
river,  harbor,  or  strait. 

CH ANNEL-GROPERS  (Enff.).  Men-of-war  which 
cruise  in  the  English  Channel. 

Channels.  Flat  ledges  of  white-oak  plank 
projecting  outboard  from  the  ship's  side  for 
spreading  the  lower  shrouds  and  giving  addi 
tional  support  to  the  masts ;  also  called  chains. 

CHANNEL-BOLTS.  The  bolts  driven  through 
the  channels  edgewise,  and  through  the  frame 
and  planking,  to  secure  them  to  the  ship's  side. 

CHANNEL-PUMP.  A  pump  rigged  in  the 
channels. 

Chape.  The  top  locket  of  the  scabbard  of  a 
sword. 

Chapel.  In  a  light  breeze  when  the  ship  comes 
to  against  the  helm,  or  is  taken  aback  by  a  shift 
of  wind,  or  by  negligence  at  the  helm,  she  may 
be  recovered  on  the  same  tack  without  bracing 
the  head-yards,  by  causing  the  ship  to  make  a 
complete  circle,  until  she  arrives  at  her  original 


position.      This   manoeuvre   is   called  chapeling 
ship,  or  building  a  chapel. 

Chaph.     ft  Cassiopeice. 

Chaplain.     See  NAVAL  CHAPLAIN. 

Chapman.  A  small  trader ;  a  ship's  super 
cargo. 

Char.     A  species  of  trout. 

Charcoal.  A  form  of  carbon  obtained  by 
burning  wood  with  the  imperfect  access  of  air, 
or  by  heating  or  distilling  it  in  iron  cylinders  so 
constructed  as  to  allow  of  the  collection  of  the 
volatile  products,  among  which  are  tar  and 
pyrollgneous  acid,  which  is  impure  vinegar. 
The  purity  of  the  carbon  varies  directly  with  the 
temperature  at  which  the  wood  is  charred ;  thus, 
charcoal  charred  at  480°  contains  65  per  cent,  of 
carbon,  while  that  charred  at  750°  contains  80, 
and  that  charred  at  2730°  contains  96;  but  the 
loss  of  charcoal  occasioned  by  these  high  tem 
peratures  is  very  great,  the  three  percentages  of 
charcoal  corresponding  to  these  temperatures 
being  50,  20,  and  15.  Among  the  many  uses  of 
charcoal,  that  of  most  interest  to  military  and 
naval  men  is  its  employment  in  the  manufacture 
of  gunpowder  (which  see).  For  this  purpose  the 
charcoal  from  willows  and  alder  is  now  chiefly 
used.  A  peculiar  kind  of  charcoal,  termed  from 
its  color  cnarbon  rouge,  is  prepared  in  France  for 
the  manufacture  of  the  gunpowder  used  for 
sporting  purposes,  by  subjecting  wood  in  iron 
cylinders  to  the  action  of  superheated  steam 
under  a  pressure  of  two  atmospheres.  Powder 
made  with  this  charcoal  absorbs  moisture  more 
rapidly  than  ordinary  gunpowder. 

Charge.  The  quantity  of  powder  used  in 
loading  a  fire-arm  or  in  filling  a  shell  or  torpedo. 
Service  charges  are  the  ordinary  charges  author 
ized  by  the  bureau  of  ordnance.  Battering 
charges  are  larger  than  the  service  charges,  and 
are  used  for  a  limited  number  of  fires  against 
ironclads  or  masonry  at  short  range.  A  burst 
ing  charge  is  the  full  charge  of  powder  used  in  a 
shell ;  a  blowing  charge  is  a  small  quantity  of 
powder  used  in  a  shell  in  target  practice  when 
the  object  is  to  test  the  fuse. 

Charge  and  Specification.  The  formal  written 
statement  of  the  offense  alleged  to  have  been 
committed  by  the  accused  before  a  general  court- 
martial. 

In  the  British  service  there  is  no  distinction 
between  the  "charge,"  as  such,  and  the  "speci 
fication  ;"  the  fact,  or  body  of  facts,  constituting 
each  offense  being  only  presented  in  a  single  sen 
tence  or  paragraph,  the  separate  paragraphs 
being  numbered  where  the  charges  are  more 
than  one,  but — even  when  the  offenses  are  all  of 
the  same  class  and  character — introduced  by  no 
general  title  or  descriptive  heading.  In  our  ser 
vice,  on  the  contrary,  a  military  charge  consists 
of  two  parts, — the  technical  "charge"  and  the 
"specification."  The  former  defines  and  desig 
nates  the  offense,  and  the  latter  sets  forth  a  cer 
tain  state  of  facts  which  are  supposed  to  make 
out  such  offense.  See  COURT-MARTIAL. 

Charge  d'Affaires.  The  designation  of  diplo 
matic  agents  of  the  third  class. 

Charity  Sloops  (Eng.}.  Certain  ten-gun  brigs 
built  toward  the  close  of  Napoleon's  wars.  They 
were  rated  sloops  in  order  to  give  a  command  to 
a  great  number  of  commanders. 

Charles's  Wain.  The  seven  principal  stars  in 
Ursa  Major,  generally  known  as  the  "Dipper." 


CHARLESTON 


121 


CHART 


Charleston.  A  port  of  entry  and  the  largest 
city  of  South  Carolina,  situated  at  the  conflu 
ence  of  the  Ashley  and  Cooper  Rivers,  which 
unite  immediately  below  the  town  and  form  a 
good  and  spacious  harbor,  communicating  with 
the  ocean  at  Sullivan's  Island,  7  miles  below.  It 
is  118  miles  N.E.  of  Savannah,  580  miles  S.W. 
of  Baltimore,  and  540  miles  from  Washington. 
Lat.  323  W  N.  ;  Ion.  79°  57/  W.  Cooper  and 
Ashley  Rivers  are  from  30  to  40  feet  deep,  the 
former  1400  and  the  latter  2100  yards  wide.  The 
ground  on  which  the  city  is  built  is  elevated  8 
or  9  feot  above  the  level  of  the  harbor  at  high 
tide,  which  rises  about  6  feet,  flowing  by  the 
city  with  a  strong  current,  thus  contributing  to 
its  salubrity.  It  has  a  water  front  of  9  miles. 
A  sandbar  extends  across  the  mouth  of  the  har 
bor,  affording,  however,  two  entrances,  of  which 
the  deepest,  near  Sullivan's  Island,  has  18  feet 
of  water  at  low  tide.  The  harbor  is  defended  by 
Castle  Pinckney  and  Fort  Sumter,  each  on  an 
island,  the  former  2  and  the  latter  6  miles  below 
the  city,  and  also  by  Fort  Moultrie,  on  Sulli 
van's  Island.  Charleston  is  the  most  commer 
cial  city  of  South  Carolina,  and  has  an  advan 
tageous  position  for  trade,  having  a  harbor  deep 
enough  for  the  largest  ships.  Pop.  60,000. 

Charley  Noble.  The  popular  name  for  the 
galley-funnel. 

Chart.  Chart  is  derived  from  the  Greek  c.hartes ; 
Latin,  charta*,  which  was  originally  applied  to  a 
sort  of  paper  made  of  the  plant  papyrus  or  biblus. 

In  navigation  it  is  defined  as  a  representation, 
in  piano,  of  a  part  or  of  the  whole  of  the  water 
on  the  surface  of  the  globe  and  the  adjacent 
coasts. 

To  trace  the  history  of  cartography,  an  art 
probably  as  ancient  as  the  invention  of  letters, 
would  exceed  the  limits  of  this  article.  The 
period  from  Anaximander  to  Henry  the  Navi 
gator,  extending  over  two  thousand  years,  be 
longs  rather  to  the  province  of  the  antiquary. 

Unquestionably  the  ancients  had  sea-maps 
which  guided  their  barks  in  voyages  of  adven 
ture  or  profit,  and  did  we  possess  fuller  sources 
of  information  much  that  is  interesting  might  be 
said  of  them.  But  of  such  knowledge  a  cele 
brated  historian  has  remarked,  "  We  possess 
only  what  has  drifted  ashore  from  a  stranded 
vessel." 

Charts,  therefore,  as  we  understand  them,  may 
be  assigned  to  the  epoch  of  the  inauguration  of 
maritime  enterprise  among  the  nations  of  modern 
times.  To  Prince  Henry,  Duke  of  Visco,  son 
of  John  I.,  King  of  Portugal,  is  ascribed  the 
credit  of  first  introducing  them  into  the  marine, 
about  the  year  1400.  These  were  of  the  kind  de 
nominated  plane  charts,  and  they  have  continued 
in  use  to  the  present  day,  being  now  employed 
only  for  very  limited  areas. 

The  first  chart  made  in  England  appeared  in 
an  almanac  printed  on  vellum  in  1520. 

In  1542,  John  Rotz,  a  Frenchman,  made  for 
King  Henry  VIII.  "A  Book  of  Hydrography," 
containing  charts  of  the  sea-coast  finely  painted 
on  large  skins  of  parchment,  still  preserved  in 
the  British  Museum. 

For  any  considerable  extent  of  surface  charts 
of  this  construction  were  soon  found  to  be  incor 
rect,  and  their  errors  were  successively  exposed 
by  Martin  Cortes,  Petrus  Nonius,  and  Edward 
Wright ;  especially  the  last  named,  in  his  treatise 


entitled  "  Certain  Errors  in  Navigation  Detected 
and  Corrected,"  published  at  London  in  1599. 

With  a  view  to  correcting  these  errors,  Gerard 
Kauffman,  more  familiarly  known  by  the  Latin 
equivalent  Mercator  (merchant),  a  Flemish  geog 
rapher,  in  the  year  1556,  published  a  chart  in 
which  the  parallelism  of  the  meridians  was  com 
pensated  for  by  increasing  the  length  of  each  de 
gree  of  latitude  from  the  equator  towards  the 
poles.  It,  however,  appears  that  his  charts  had 
no  claim  to  accuracy;  for  the  intervals  between 
the  parallels  did  not  agree  with  the  diiferences 
of  the  corresponding  meridional  parts  of  those 
parallels.  It  seems  evident,  therefore,  that  Mer 
cator  had  no  correct  method  of  dividing  the  en 
larged  meridian. 

The  discovery  of  a  rule  for  this  purpose  was 
made  by  Wright  and  published  in  his  book  above 
mentioned.  He  states  that  the  idea  was  suggested 
to  him  by  Mercator's  chart,  "  But  the  way  how 
this  should  be  done  I  learned  neither  from  Mer 
cator  nor  any  man  else." 

The  primitive  idea  of  the  projection  upon 
which  all  our  modern  charts  for  navigating  pur 
poses  are  constructed,  expressed  in  the  quaint 
language  of  its  author,  is  as  follows  :* 

"Suppose  a  spheerical  superficies,  with  me 
ridians,  parallels,  rumbes,  and  the  whole  hydro- 
graphicall  description  drawn  thereupon,  to  be 
inscribed  into  a  concave  cylinder,  their  axes  agree 
ing  in  one.  Let  the  sphaerical  superficies  swell 
like  a  bladder  (whiles  it  is  in  blowing)  aequally 
alwayes  in  every  part  thereof  (that  is,  as  much 
in  longitude  as  in  latitude)  till  it  apply,  and  joyn 
itself  (round  about,  and  all  alongst  till  towards 
either  pole)  unto  the  concave  superficies  of  the 
cylinder  ;  each  parallel  upon  the  sphaerical  super 
ficies  increasing  successively  from  the  equinoctial 
towards  either  pole,  until  it  come  to  be  of  {equal 
diameter  with  the  cylinder,  and  consequently  the 
meridians  still  widening  themselves,  till  they 
come  to  be  so  far  distant  everywhere  each  from 
the  other  as-  they  are  at  the  ^equinoctial.  Thus 
it  may  be  most  easily  understood  how  a  spherical 
superficies  may  (by  extension)  be  made  cylin 
drical,  and  consequently  a  plain  parallelogram 
superficies;  because  the  cylinder  is  nothing  else 
but  a  plain  parallelogram  wound  about  two 
sequal  equidistant  circles.  .  .  .  Since  in  this 
projection  the  parallels  are  all  made  tequal  to 
tHe  equator,  it  is  evident  they  are  enlarged  in 
the  proportion  of  the  radius  to  the  co-sines  of 
their  respective  latitudes  ;  wherefore  the  merid 
ian,  in  order  to  preserve  everywhere  its  propor 
tion  to  the  several  parallels  thus  increased,  must, 
at  the  latitude  of  each  parallel,  be  enlarged  in 
the  proportion  of  the  radius  to  the  co-sine  of  the 
latitude,  or  so  that  the  length  of  a  minute  of  the 
true  or  proper  meridian,  which  upon  the  globe 
is  the  same  in  all  latitudes,  and  sequal  to  a  min 
ute  of  the  equator,  may  be  to  the  length  of  a 
minute  on  the  enlarged  in  any  latitude,  as  the 
co-sine  of  the  latitude  to  radius,  or,  which  is  the 
same,  as  radius  is  to  the  secant  of  the  latitude. 
.  .  .  Hence  a  table  of  natural  secants  to  every 
degree  and  minute  of  the  quadrant,  and  whose 
radius  is  1,  will  express  the  several  lengths  of 
the  enlarged  meridian  at  the  latitude  belonging 
to  those  secants  respectively.  And  hence  the 

*  Properly  speaking,  this  should  be  called  Mercator's  de 
velopment  ;  it  is  not  a  projection  in  tlie  strict  sense  of  tho 
term. 


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122 


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sum  of  the  secants  of  all  the  minutes  from  the 
beginning  of  the  quadrant  to  the  degree  and 
minute  of  any  parallel's  latitude  will  be,  in 
minutes  of  the  equator,  or  nautical  miles,  the 
length  of  that  part  of  the  enlarged  meridian 
which  is  contained  between  the  equator  and  the 
given  parallel." 

In  this  manner  Wright  constructed  his  "  Table 
of  Latitudes  for  Graduating  a  Meridian  in  the 
General  Sea-Chart,"  which  has  since  obtained 
the  name  of  "A  Table  of  Meridional  Parts," 
called  by  the  French  "  Latitudes  Croissantes." 

The  above  method  of  dividing  the  meridian  is 
not  geometrically  accurate.  Wright  understood 
this,  and  devised  "  A  conceit  for  dividing  the 
meridian  of  the  nautical  planisphsere  that  may 
satisfie  the  curious  exactness  of  the  geometrician. ' ' 
Since  his  time  various  mathematicians  have  im 
proved  on  his  method.  The  first  correct  solution 
of  the  problem  appears  in  "  Norwood's  Epitome 
of  Navigation,"  1645.  Its  author  is  unknown, 
and  the  ^demonstration  was  not  given ;  this  was 
supplied  by  Mr.  James  Gregory,  of  Aberdeen, 
1668,  and  more  concisely  at  a  later  period  by 
Dr.  Halley. 

In  most  works  on  navigation  containing  tables 
of  meridional  parts  the  calculations  have  been 
made  on  the  supposition  that  the  earth  is  a  sphere, 
and  this  answers  well  enough  for  practical  pur 
poses.  But  theory,  confirmed  by  observation, 
has  shown  our  globe  to  be  an  oblate  spheroid, 
and  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  others  have  calculated 
the  ratio  of  the  equatorial  to  the  polar  diameter  ; 
this  is  called  the  compression  of  the  terrestrial 
spheroid.  Its  value  has  been  variously  estimated  : 
that  adopted  by  the  Bureau  of  Navigation, 

is,  c=_  - 

299.1528 

On  the  Mercator  chart  the  loxodrome,  or  ship's 
track,  is  developed  as  a  right  line  making  the 
same  angle  with  each  meridian  crossed,  and  this 
constitutes  its  chief  advantage  over  other  sys 
tems  for  purposes  of  navigation.  As  for  every 
increase  of  latitude  a  new  scale  of  measurement 
is  introduced,  objects  near  the  pole  are  increased 
in  size  but  their  outlines  are  not  distorted.  The 
relative  positions  of  places  with  respect  to  a 
rhumb-line  are  correct,  but  the  relative  distances 
between  places  are  not  shown  with  precision. 

Observed  bearings,  unless  due  north  or  south, 
or  east  and  west  at  the  equator,  are  never  identi 
cal  with  bearings  taken  from  the  Mercator  chart, 
and  the  error  increases  the  higher  the  latitude. 
Such  bearings  being  similar  to  courses  on  a  great 
circle,  it  follows  that  this  chart  is  not  adapted  for 
great  circle  sailing. 

Since  bearings  obtained  either  by  means  of  the 
magnetic  needle  or  astronomical  observations 
cannot  be  laid  off  with  accuracy,  it  is  evident 
that  the  Mercator  projection  does  not  answer  for 
the  more  refined  purposes  of  surveying. 

All  attempts  to  project  a  spherical  surface  on 
a  plane  result  in  more  or  less  distortion  of  the 
country  delineated,  in  large  extents  so  great  as 
to  destroy  the  true  proportion  between  the  parts. 

For  map-making  and  plotting  the  data  of  a 
survey  various  projections  are  employed,  such  as 
the  orthographic,  stereographic,  equidistant,  coni 
cal,  gnomonic,  and  polyconic ;  the  last  three  are 
the  only  ones  adapted  to  our  present  purpose. 
Since  surveys  are  first  plotted  on  one  of  these 
projections  and  then  transferred  to  the  Mercator 


chart  for  the  use  of  the  navigator,  a  brief  con 
sideration  of  them  is  not  out  of  place  here. 

The  conical  projection  is  much  used  by  Euro 
pean  map-makers,  and  is  drawn  as  if  projected 
from  the  centre  of  the  earth  on  the  surface  of  a 
cone  cutting  the  surface  of  the  earth  in  the  paral 
lels  of  latitude  equidistant  from  the  extremes 
and  middle  of  the  required  limits.  Within  mod 
erate  areas  the  distortion  is  quite  inappreciable, 
and  even  for  a  considerable  extent  of  country  it 
is  but  trifling  ;  on  this  account  it,  or  some  modi 
fication  of  it,  is  now  generally  used  for  maps. 
For  purposes  of  accurate  measurement  it  has 
the  disadvantage  that,  with  the  exception  of  the 
meridians,  all  great  circles  are  represented  on  it 
by  curved  lines.  Now,  all  measurements  between 
places  on  the  earth's  surface  are  necessarily  made 
on  the  arc  of  a  great  circle,  and  for  these  to  be 
accurately  represented  on  paper  it  is  of  the  great 
est  importance  that  the  projection  of  every  arc 
of  a  great  circle  should  be  a  right  line.  This  re 
quirement  prevents  the  use  of  the  orthographic 
projection,  which  near  its  centre  is  the  most  ac 
curate  of  all,  and  the  same  objection  applies  to 
the  Mercator. 

The  gnomonic  projection  fulfills  this  require 
ment.  It  is  formed  by  lines  drawn  through  the 
several  points  from  the  centre  of  a  sphere  to  a 
plane  touching  the  sphere  in  a  point  near  the 
middle  of  the  country  to  be  represented.  The 
distortion  is  greater  than  in  the  orthographic  or 
conical  projections,  but  within  the  limits  of  a 
survey,  so  trifling  as  to  be  practically  inappre 
ciable.  At  a  distance  of  60  miles  from  the 
central  point  a  mile  so  projected  is  but  one  foot 
too  long,  and  no  one  chart  on  a  moderately  large 
scale  exceeds  120  miles. 

For  detailed  charts,  such  as  are  drawn  by 
surveyors  in  the  progress  of  a  survey,  the  gno 
monic  projection  is,  practically  speaking,  accu 
rate  ;  and  possessing  the  desired  property  of 
representing  all  great  circles  by  straight  lines, 
cutting  each  other  at  angles  which  within  the 
required  limits  have  no  sensible  difference  from 
the  angles  at  which  the  circles  cut  each  other,  it, 
or  some  modification  of  it,  is  much  used  by  sur 
veyors.  The  numerical  computations  necessary 
for  this  projection  require  a  knowledge  of  conic 
sections  ;  but  such  calculations  are  obviated  by 
the  use  of  Carrington's  tables.  Large  charts  of 
the  gnomonic  projection  have  been  constructed 
for  purposes  of  great  circle  sailing.  Such  charts 
are  useful  auxiliaries  to  rhumb  sailing. 

These  two  projections  are  used  by  the  Ad 
miralty  surveyors  and  rnap-makers  of  Great 
Britain. 

The  United  States  Coast  Survey  and  Hydro- 
graphic  Office  have  adopted  the  polyconic  system 
in  the  plotting  of  surveys.  The  coast  charts  of 
the  United  States  are  issued  in  this  projection, 
and  the  largest  extends  from  Cape  Hatteras  to 
Cape  Sable.  This  is  a  modification  of  the  conical 
projection,  and  supposes  each  parallel  of  latitude 
to  be  developed  upon  its  own  cone,  the  vertex  of 
which  is  on  the  axis  of  the  sphere  at  its  intersec 
tion  with  the  tangent  to  the  meridian  at  the 
parallel.  The  "  Projection  Tables,"  published 
by  the  Bureau  of  Navigation,  give  a  description 
of  the  theory  and  practical  construction  of  this 
projection. 

The  survey  is  plotted  on  shipboard,  as  made 
from  day  to  'day,  on  blank  projection  sheets  of 


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123 


CHAKT 


well-stretched  drawing-paper.  This  work,  to 
gether  with  all  the  data  of  the  survey,  is  sent  to 
the  Hydrographic  Office,  where  it  is  carefully 
revised ;  the  several  sheets  combined  form  a 
polyconic  chart  on  a  large  scale.  The  work  is 
then  ready  for  transfer  to  the  Mercator  chart. 

The  scale  having  been  determined  on,  a  Mer 
cator  chart  is  developed  within  the  required 
limits  in  the  following  manner: 

A  sheet  of  Whatman's  cold-pressed  drawing- 
paper,  previously  stretched,  is  secured  to  the 
board  by  means  of  thumb-tacks  ;  the  usual  in 
struments  of  the  draughtsman  should  be  within 
reach. 

If  the  equator  is  to  be  included  within  the 
limits  of  the  proposed  chart,  the  values  to  be 
laid  oif  for  latitude  are  given  directly  in  the 
table.  Should  the  equator  not  come  within  the 
chart,  then  the  difference  of  the  meridional  parts 
corresponding  to  the  upper  and  lower  latitudes 
gives  these  values.  Such  quantities  may  be 
directly  measured  off  by  means  of  a  diagonal 
scale,  or  reduced  to  the  proper  proportions  from 
a  scale  of  yards,  metres,  etc.  If,  for  instance,  it 
be  required  to  construct  a  chart  on  a  scale  of  one- 
quarter  of  an  inch  to  five  minutes  of  arc  on  the 
equator,  a  diagonal  scale  may  first  be  constructed, 
on  which  ten  meridional  parts,  or  ten  minutes  of 
arc  on  the  equator,  have  a  length  of  half  an  inch. 
Then,  in  the  usual  manner,  multiples  of  one 
meridional  part  may  be  measured  on  the  base 
line,  multiples  of  0.1  on  the  lines  parallel  to  the 
base-line,  and  multiples  of  0.01  maybe  estimated 
between  the  parallels.  If  an  inch'scale  be  used, 
the  meridional  parts,  before  being  laid  down  on 
the  projection,  must  be  multiplied  by  0.05  or 
divided  by  20,  since  .20  minutes  of  arc  on  the 
equator,  or  20  meridional  parts,  have  to  be  made 
equal  to  one  inch. 

Often  it  may  be  desirable  to  adapt  the  scale  to 
a  certain  size  of  paper.  In  this  case  the  extreme 
parallels  are  first  drawn  on  the  sheet,  the  dis 
tance  between  them  measured,  and  the  included 
number  of  meridional  parts  ascertained.  Divid 
ing  the  measured  distance  by  this  number  gives 
the  length  of  one  meridional  part,  this  represents 
the  scale  of  the  chart,  and  by  it  all  the  merid 
ional  parts  taken  from  the  table  must  be  multi 
plied. 

The  practical  construction  is  best  shown  by  an 
example :  Suppose  a  projection  be  required  for  a 
chart  of  14°  extent  in  longitude,  between  the 
parallels  of  latitude  20°  30'  and  30°  25',  and  let 
the  space  available  on  the  paper  between  these 
parallels  measure  10  inches. 

Entering  the  column  headed  20°  in  the  table 
of  meridional  parts  and  running  down  to  the  line 
of  30'  in  the  side  column,  will  be  found  1249.08  ; 
then  entering  the  column  headed  30°  and  run 
ning  down  to  the  line  of  25',  will  be  found  1905.68. 
The"  difference,  1905.68  —  1249.08  =  656.60,  is  the 
value  of  the  meridional  arc  between  those  lati 
tudes,  for  which  V  of  arc  on  the  equator  is  taken 
as  the  unit. 

On  the  intended  projection,  therefore,  lx  of 


arc  of  longitude  will  measure 


10  in. 


=0.0152 


656.60 

inches,  which  will  be  the  scale  of  the  chart; 
for  the  sake  of  brevity  call  this  0.015.  By  this 
quantity  all  the  values  derived  from  the  table 
must  be  multiplied  before  laying  them  down  on 
the  projection,  if  they  are  to  be  measured  by  a 


diagonal  scale  of  one  inch.  This  should  not  be 
confounded  with  the  natural  scale,  which  is  the 
proportion  that  the  chart  bears  to  the  earth,  ob 
tained  by  reducing  the  number  of  feet  in  the 
minute  of  latitude  to  inches  and  dividing  the 
product  by  the  scale. 

Draw  now  in  the  centre  of  the  sheet  a  vertical 
straight  line,  and  assume  it  to  be  the  middle  me 
ridian  of  the  chart.  Construct  very  carefully  on 
this  line  a  perpendicular  near  the  'lower  border 
of  the  sheet,  and  assume  this  perpendicular  to  be 
the  parallel  of  latitude  20°  30' ;  it  may  also  serve 
as  the  southern  inner  neat  line  of  the  chart. 
Prom  the  intersection  of  the  vertical  and  hori 
zontal  lines  thus  drawn,  lay  off  on  the  latter, 
each  side  of  the  middle  meridian,  seven  degrees  of 
longitude,  equal  to  0.015  X  60  X  7  —  6.3'inches, 
and  through  the  extremes  draw  parallels  to 
the  middle  meridian,  which  will  be  the  eastern 
and  western  inner  neat  lines  of  the  chart.  Find 
in  the  table  the  meridional  parts  for  21°  Ox, 
which  are  1280.97  ;  subtracting  from  this  num 
ber  the  parts  corresponding  to  20°  30',  and  mul 
tiplying  the  difference  by  0.015,  we  obtain  0.478 
inches,  which  is  to  be  laid  off  from  the  parallel 
of  20°  30r  on  the  verticals,  and  draw  a  straight 
line  through  the  points  thus  established.  Pro 
ceed  in  the  same  manner  to  lay  off  all  the  paral 
lels  corresponding  to  full  degrees  of  latitude. 

A  degree  of  longitude  will  measure  on  this 
chart  0.015  X  60  =  °-9  inches ;  lay  off  on  the 
extreme  and  middle  parallels  on  each  side  of  the 
middle  meridian  the  distances  0.9  inches,  1.8 
inches,  2.7  inches,  etc.,  determining  the  points 
where  meridians  of  full  degrees  cross  the  paral 
lels  on  the  chart,  through  them  draw  the  merid 
ians.  Draw  the  outer  neat  lines  of  the  chart  and 
extend  to  them  the  parallels  and  meridians.  Be 
tween  the  neat  lines  subdivide  the  degrees  of  lati 
tude  and  longitude  as  minutely  as  the  scale  will 
allow.  Subdivisions  of  longitude  are  found  by 
dividing  the  degrees  into  equal  parts,  those  for 
latitude  being  determined  from  the  table,  as  ex 
plained  for  the  full  degree.  L'astly,  draw  the 
border-lines  and  a  compass,  graduated  into  points 
and  quarter-points,  from  the  magnetic  meridian. 

The  subdivisions  between  the  parallels  will 
serve  for  estimating  distances.  Distances  be 
tween  places  bearing  north  and  south  of  each 
other  may  be  referred  to  the  subdivisions  between 
their  parallels.  Distances  represented  by  lines 
at  an  angle  to  the  meridians  may  be  measured 
by  taking  a  number  of  subdivisions  near  the 
middle  latitude  of  the  line  to  be  measured  in 
the  dividers  and  applying  them  to  that  line. 

A  chart  may  be  transferred  from  any  projec 
tion  to  the  Mercator  by  drawing  a  system  of  cor 
responding  horizontal  and  vertical  lines  on  both 
charts,  forming  minute  squares,  and  the  outlines 
and  characters  contained  in  each  square  of  the 
one  may  be  copied  in  the  corresponding  squares 
of  the  other. 

The  best  trained  eye  and  hand,  aided  by  the 
most  carefully  constructed  instruments,  cannot 
render  a  chart  perfect ;  but  this  fact  is  no  excuse 
for  careless,  hasty  execution. 

The  chart  should  be  such  that  every  portion  of 
a  sea-coast  may  be  recognized  without  hesitation, 
and  the  best  manner  of  approaching  or  avoiding 
it  perceived  and  ports  entered  without  the  aid  of 
a  pilot  in  every  state  of  weather,  wind,  and  tide. 

Besides  the  outline  of  the  shore,  with  soundings 


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CHARTER 


and  off-lying  dangers  and  relative  positions  of 
the  principal  points,  its  character  should  be  ac 
curately  delineated.  The  extent  of  shoals,  with 
the  limits  of  the  intervening  channels,  should  be 
clearly  shown  and  the  sea-marks  indicated,  the 
directions  expressed  so  tersely  and  simply  that 
by  the  rapid  opening  or  closing  of  the  marks,  and 
the  sequence  of  the  soundings,  the  mariner  may 
be  able  to  feel  his  way  with  decision  and  promp 
titude. 

The  topographic  portion  of  such  a  chart  should 
be  complete,  containing  all  the  principal  features 
which  are  conspicuous  from  the  offing  and  the 
relative  positions  of  secondary  objects.  The 
table  of  signs  and  abbreviations  employed  at  the 
United  States  Hydrographic  Office  gives  the 
necessary  information  respecting  hydrographical 
representations. 

For  the  purposes  of  the  navigator  the  elabor 
ate  systems  of  orographic  representation  are  not 
necessary,  and  it  is  needless  to  discuss  here  the 
relative  merits  of  the  methods  of  Lehman,  Du- 
four,  and  others. 

A  judicious  arrangement  of  light  and  shade, 
produced  by  increasing  or  diminishing  the  thick 
ness  of  the  hachures  and  inclining  them  so  as  to 
give  the  general  idea  of  the  course  taken  by  a 
drop  of  water,  supposing  it  to  flow  from  the  sum 
mit  to  the  foot  of  a  declivity,  gives  a  plastic 
effect  and  satisfies  the  eye. 

The  title  and  other  lettering  on  a  chart  should 
be  executed  in  the  plainest  and  neatest  manner. 
Roman  capitals  are  used  for  the  principal  titles, 
and  other  printing  may  be  done  in  small  Roman, 
Italics,  and  stump-writing. 

The  grand  division  of  sea  or  land  to  which  the 
chart  belongs  should  be  stated,  also  the  date  of 
survey,  and  by  whom  made  ;  references  to  special 
plans  that  ma}r  be  included  within  the  limits  ; 
the  longitude  and  prime  meridian,  or  secondary, 
upon  which  the  longitude  depends  ;  the  latitude  ; 
the  variation  of  the  compass  and  its  amount  of 
annual  change  ;  the  plane  of  reference  to  which 
soundings  are  reduced,  and  whether  soundings 
are  expressed  in  feet  or  fathoms ;  rise  of  spring 
tides  at  full  and  change  of  the  moon,  and  curves 
of  equal  variation. 

Views  of  certain  harbors  and  conspicuous  ob 
jects  are  often  drawn  on  the  margins  in  Indian 
ink;  in  which  case  the  bearings  from  the  point 
of  view  should  be  given. 

The  work  of  the  draughtsman  being  complete, 
the  chart  passes  into  the  hands  of  the  engraver, 
and  is  transferred  to  the  copper  plate ;  many 
months  of  careful  labor  must  elapse  before  it  is 
ready  for  printing  and  issue. 

Another  method  of  reproducing  charts  has, 
from  its  economy  and  facility,  been  much  used 
by  the  United  States  Hydrographic  Office,  and 
the  camera  has  been  utilized  for  this  purpose. 
By  photo-lithography  a  chart  may  be  repro 
duced  ;  but  this  system  lacks  the  clearness  and 
accuracy  of  engraving,  and  it  is  not  adapted  to 
large  extents.  In  preparing  plans  for  this  pro 
cess  particular  care  is  required  in  making  with 
clearness  all  the  details,  and  the  scale  should  be 
somewhat  larger  than  that  intended  for  issue. 

Charts  may  be  classed,  according  to  their 
uses,  under  the  following  heads  :  Ocean,  general, 
and  coast  charts,  harbor  plans,  and  physical 
charts.  Various  other  charts  are  employed  for 
scientific  purposes,  such  as  : 


Chart,  Variation,  a  Mercator  chart  upon  which 
are  laid  down  curves  representing  the  variation 
of  the  compass  at  those  places  through  which 
they  pass.  Such  a  chart  was  first  constructed  by 
Dr.  Halley,  in  1700,  with  a  view  to  finding  the 
longitude. 

Chart  of  the  Inclination,  or  Dip  of  the  Mag 
netic  Needle,  containing  curves  expressing  the 
amount  of  inclination,  or  dip  of  the  needle,  at  the 
places  through  which  they  pass.  The  first  chart 
of  this  kind  appeared  in  England  in  1721,  and 
was  published  by  Mr.  Whiston  in  his  treatise 
entitled  "  The  Longitude  and  Latitude  found 
by  the  Indinatory  or  Dipping  Needle." 

Chart,  Skeleton,  or  Track,  blank  sheets  con 
structed  on  the  Mercator  projection  for  different 
latitudes,  upon  which  the  ship's  track  is  to  be 
plotted  by  the  navigator  during  a  cruise. 

Chart,  Physical,  showing  the  streams,  cur 
rents,  and  drifts  of  the  ocean,  prevailing  winds, 
and  meteorological  data  compiled  from  the  re 
cords  of  navigators,  made  during  voyages  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Chart,  Chorographic,  a  delineation  of  a  par 
ticular  country. 

Chart,  Heliographic,  a  representation  of  the 
body  of  the  sun  and  of  the  maculae,  or  spots, 
thereon. 

Chart,  Selenographic,  a  representation  of  the 
moon  and  the  spots  on  her  disk. 

Chart,  Telegraphic,  a  delineation  of  the  tele 
graph  on  paper. 

Chart,  Topographic,  a  minute  and  scientific 
delineation  of  a  tract  of  country.  In  a  military 
sense  it  may  have  particular  reference  to  fortifi 
cations,  camps,  and  the  movement  of  troops. 

The  charts  published  by  the  British  Admiralty 
number  over  2600,  and  are  sold  at  prices  varying 
from  Gd.  to  3s.  each ;  this  is  below  their  actual 
cost. 

In  the  financial  year  1860-61  a  sum  of  £11,000 
was  provided  for  this  branch  irrespective  of  the 
surveying,  which  required  a  larger  sum.  The 
sale  of  these  charts  in  five  years  numbered 
290,000  copies,  besides  the  supply  furnished  the 
queen's  ships. 

There  are  866  charts  published  by  the  United 
States  Hydrographic  Office,  and,  with  a  view  to 
encourage  their  general  use,  they  are  sold  below 
the  cost  price.  There  are  over ~ 700  charts  pub 
lished  by  the  United  States  Coast  Survey  Office. 
— George  P.  Colvocor esses,  Lieutenant  U.  S.  Nary. 

Charter.  To  charter  a  vessel  is  to  take  her  to 
freight  under  a  charter-party  (which  see). 

CHARTERED  SHIP.  One  let  to  hire  to  one  or 
more  exclusively,  or  to  a  company.  A  general 
ship  is  one  loaded  with  the  goods  of  persons  not 
connected  in  interest. 

CHARTERER.  The  individuals,  government, 
or  company,  hiring  or  chartering  a  ship. 

CHARTER-PARTY.  -A  contract  of  affreight 
ment  in  writing,  by  which  the  owner  of  a  ship 
lets  the  whole  or  a  part  of  her  to  a  merchant  for 
the  conveyance  of  goods  on  a  particular  voyage, 
in  consideration  of  the  payment  of  freight.  All 
contracts  under  seal  were  anciently  called  char 
ters ;  they  were  divided  into  two  parts,  of  which 
each  party  interested  took  one,  and  this  was  the 
meaning  of  the  charta-partita.  It  was  a  deed  or 
writing  divided,  consisting  of  two  parts,  like  an 
indenture  at  common  law.  Lord  Mansfield  ob 
served  that  the  charter-party  was  an  old  informal 


CHASE 


125 


CHERBOURG 


instrument,  and  by  the  introduction  of  different 
clauses  at  different  times,  it  was  inaccurate  and 
sometimes  contradictor}'-.  But  this  defect  has 
been  supplied  by  giving  it,  as  mercantile  con 
tracts  usually  receive,  a  liberal  construction  in 
furtherance  of  the  real  intention  and  the  usage 
of  trade.  The  charter-party  describes  the  par 
ties,  the  ship,  and  the  voyage,  and  contains,  on 
the  part  of  the  owner,  a  stipulation  as  to  sea 
worthiness  and  as  to  the  promptitude  with  which 
the  vessel  shall  receive  the  cargo  and  perform 
the  voyage ;  and  the  exception  of  such  perils  of 
the  sea  for  which  the  master  and  ship-owners  do 
not  mean  to  be  responsible.  On  the  part  of  the 
freighter,  it  contains  a  stipulation  to  load  and 
unload  within  a  given  time,  with  an  allowance 
of  so  many  lay,  or  running  days  for  loading  and 
unloading  the  cargo,  and  the  rate  and  time  of 
payment  of  the  freight,  and  rate  of  demurrage 
beyond  the  allotted  days. 

Chase.  That  part  of  a  gun  between  the  rein 
force  and  the  swell  of  the  muzzle.  A  ship  which 
is  being  pursued  by  an  enemy.  When  a  ship  is 
so  built  as  to  be  able  to  fire  several  guns  right 
ahead  or  right  aft,  she  is  said  to  have  a  good 
chase.  To  chase  or  to  give  chase,  to  pursue  a  ves 
sel.  When  the  pursuer  follows  directly  in  the 
wake  of  the  chase,  it  is  a  stern  chase,  which  is 
said  to  be  long  but  sure;  each  ship  must  depend 
entirely  upon  its  speed,  as  there  is  little  oppor 
tunity  for  manoeuvring  and  a  shift  of  wind  would 
affect  them  equally ;  if  the  chaser  have  the 
superiority  in  speed  there  is  little  doubt  but  that 
the  chase  will  be  eventually  captured. 

To  chase  in  the  wind's  eye,  to  chase  to  wind 
ward.  The  chaser  should  persevere  even  though 
inferior  in  speed,  as  an  accident,  a  shift  of  wind, 
or  a  lucky  shot  may  give  her  an  advantage  ;  on 
the  other  hand  the  chase  should  do  her  utmost 
to  evade  the  pursuer,  and  to  retard  the  time  of 
being  overtaken;  as  a  fog,  squall,  shift  of  wind, 
darkness,  or  an  accident  to  the  chaser  may  enable 
the  chase  to  escape. 

CHASE-GUNS.    See  CHASER,  Bow  (or  STERN). 

CHASE-PORT.  A  port  forward  or  aft,  used  for 
a  chase-gun. 

CHASER.     A  vessel  pursuing  another. 

CHASER,  Bow  (or  STERN).  A  gun  so  mounted 
as  to  fire  nearly  or  directly  ahead  (or  astern). 

Chasse  Mafee  (Fr.).  A  French  coasting  ves 
sel,  generally  lugger-rigged. 

Chat.  A  lazy  fellow".  A  louse.  A  ship  built 
on  the  Norwegian  model.  See  CAT. 

Chatham,  Chest  of  (Eng.}.  An  ancient  in 
stitution,  restored  by  Queen  Elizabeth  in  1590, 
for  the  wounded  seamen  of  the  Royal  navy.  It 
was  supported  by  a  tax  on  each  man  in  the  navy, 
according  to  amount  of  his  pay.  This  tax  was 
called  smart-money. 

Chauncey,  John  S.,  Commodore  U.S.N. 
Born  in  New  York.  Appointed  from  New  York, 
January  1,  1812. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  1821 ;  sloop 
"Peacock,"  West  India  Squadron,  1822;  in  Au 
gust, 1822,  engaged  in  thecaptureof  seven  piratical 
schooners  off  Bah i a  Honda,  Cuba,  and  a  heavily- 
armed  pirate-schooner  by  the  boats  of  the  "  Pea 
cock"  ;  was  ordered  to  command  one  of  the 
prizes;  the  vessel  was  nearly  decimated  by  yel 
low  fever, — thirty  to  forty  deaths  among  the 
crew,  and  three  or  four  lieutenants,  himself  the 
only  midshipman  remaining  on  dutyj  ordered 


to  schooner  u  Grampus,"  West  India  Squadron, 
as  acting  lieutenant,  by  Commodore  Porter, 
1823;  ordered  to  sloop  "Ontario,"  as  lieutenant, 
1824  ;  Mediterranean  Squadron,  1824-20. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  September  8, 
1841;  commanding  sloop  "Vandalia,"  West 
Indies,  Home  Squadron,  1843-45;  inspector  of 
ordnance,  Washington,  1847-50. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  September  14,  1855; 
commanding  steam-sloop  "  Susquehanna,"  1861 ; 
engaged  at  Forts  Hatteras  and  Clark,  as  second 
in  command,  August  29  and  30,  1861 ;  in  com 
mand  of  the  blockade  of  sounds  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina,  September,  1861. 

Commissioned  as  commodore,  July  16,  1862 ; 
inspector  of  ordnance,  Reading,  Pa.,  1863;  special 
service,  court-martial  duty,  1864-65 ;  special 
service,  navy-yard,  New  York,  18GG-67  ;  retired 
1868 ;  died  1874. 

Chaw.     To  chew.     A  quid  of  tobacco. 

CHAW-MOUTH.     An  opprobrious  epithet. 

Cheat  the  Devil.  One  is  said  to  cheat  the 
devil  when,  instead  of  being  profane,  he  makes 
use  of  such  expressions  as  darn  it,  deuce  take  it, 
etc. 

Cheat  the  Glass.     See  FLOG  THE  GLASS. 

Chebacco-boat.  A  boat  employed  in  the 
Newfoundland  fisheries. 

Chebec.     See  CHEBACCO-BOAT. 

Check.  To  check  a  brace,  bowline,  etc.,  is  to 
ease  it  off.  To  check  the  headway  is  to  lessen  the 
ship's  progress  through  the  water.  To  check  a 
cable  is  to  stop  it  from  running  out  rapidly. 

Checkered  Sides.  Sides  of  a  ship  painted  to 
show  all  the  ports  ;  particularly  applicable  when 
there  are  two  or  more  rows. 

Checking-line.  A  small  line  bent  to  the  eye 
of  the  topgallant  or  royal  lift  and  brace,  and 
rove  through  a  bull's-eye  at  the  mast-head,  to 
haul  the  lifts  and  braces  in  when  the  light  yards 
are  sent  down. 

Cheek.  Impudent  assurance.  The  side  of  a 
gun-carriage.  The  side  of  a  block.  Generally, 
in  any  machine  where  there  are  two  flat  timbers 
or  parts  which  are  similar  to  each  other,  each 
timber  is  called  a  cheek. 

CHEEK-BLOCK.  A  block  bolted  to  a  mast  or 
gaff,  and  having  only  one  cheek,  the  mast  or 
gaff  forming  the  other  side  of  the  block. 

CHEEK-KNEES.  Knees  worked  above  and  be 
low  the  hawse-pipes  in  the  angle  of  the  bow  and 
cut-water,  the  brackets  being  a  continuation  of 
them  to  the  billet  or  figure-head. 

Cheeks.  An  old  sobriquet  for  a  marine,  de 
rived  from  a  rough  pun  on  his  uniform  in  olden 
days. 

Cheer.  To  animate  ;  to  encourage.  To  salute 
a  person  or  ship  by  huzzaing.  To  cheer  ship  is 
to  send  the  men  in  the  rigging  and  salute  a  pass 
ing  ship  by  cheering.  It  is  forbidden  by  the 
regulations  to  give  cheers  to  any  officer  on  join 
ing  a  ship,  while  attached  to  her,  or  on  being  de 
tached  from  her.  What  cheer  ?  How  fare  ye  ? 

CHEERILY.     Heartily  ;  with  a  will. 

Cheese.   A  circular  wad  covered  with  canvas. 

Chelynge.     An  old  name  for  the  cod-fish. 

Cherbourg.  A  fortified  seaport  town  and  im 
portant  naval  station  of  France,  department  of 
Manche,  on  the  English  Channel,  at  the  north 
end  of  the  peninsula'of  Cotentin',  about  85  miles 
west  of  Havre.  Lat.  49°  40'  N.  ;  Ion.  1°  35'  W. 
Pop.  38,000.  The  principal  buildings  are  the 


CHEREMERI 


126 


CHINE 


military  and  naval  arsenals,  hospitals,  and  bar 
racks.  The  commercial  and  naval  ports  are 
quite  distinct  from  each  other.  The  commercial 
port  consists  of  a  harbor  and  a  basin,  1338  feet  long 
and  416  feet  wide.  The  basin  communicates  with 
the  harbor  by  dock-gates,  which  prevent  the  re 
flux  of  the  water.  The  channel  from  the  harbor 
to  the  sea  is  1968  feet  long  and  164  feet  wide, 
lined  by  a  granite  quay  with  parapets.  In  this 
channel  the  depth  of  water  is  never  less  than  19 J 
feet.  The  Port  Militaire  and  Arsenal  de  la  Marine 
consist  of  a  port  984  feet  long  and  754  feet  wide, 
capable  of  containing  50  large  ships  of  war,  and 
accessible  at  all  times  of  tide  for  vessels  of  the 
largest  class  ;  a  floating-basin  closed  by  lock- 
gates,  and  a  third  basin.  There  are  four  slips 
for  vessels  of  the  largest  size ;  adjoining  these 
slips  is  a  dry-dock.  The  great  work,  however, 
for  which  Cherbourg  is  noted  is  the  digue,  or 
breakwater,  stretching  across  the  roadstead.  The 
digue  was  commenced  by  Louis  XVI.,  and 
finished  in  1858.  It  is  2}  miles  from  the  harbor, 
in  water  varying  from  40  to  65  feet  deep.  Its 
proportions  are — length,  4120  yards  ;  breadth  at 
base,  262  feet ;  at  top,  102  feet.  The  entrance 
east  of  the  digue  is  3285  feet  wide,  and  that  to  the 
west  9875  feet.  A  fort  and  light-house  occupy 
the  centre  of  the  digue,  and  there  are  also  light 
houses  at  each  entrance  to  the  roadstead,  and 
one  at  the  entrance  to  the  commercial  port.  The 
defenses  consist  of  the  batteries  of  Fort  National, 
of  100  guns,  on  the  Isle  of  Pelee,  and  many  other 
forts,  which  render  Cherbourg,  if  not  impreg 
nable  from  the  sea,  at  least  very  difficult  of  at 
tack. 

Cheremeri.  In  the  East,  a  bribe  in  making  a 
contract  or  bargain. 

Cherry.  A  species  of  smelt  or  spirling  in  the 
Frith  of  Tay. 

Chesil.    A  term  used  for  a  bank  of  shingle. 

Chess-trees.  Formerly,  certain  pieces  of  oak 
timber,  fayed  and  bolted  to  the  topsides,  one  on 
each  side,  abaft  the  fore-channels,  which  had  a 
sheave  fitted  in  the  upper  part,  for  the  conven 
ience  of  hauling  home  the  main  tack. 

Chest.  A  box  of  wood  in  which  articles  are 
deposited;  as,  an  arm-chest,  a  top-chest,  etc. 
A  sea-chest  is  generally  capable  of  being  taken 
apart  and  stowed  in  a  small  space. 

Chester  (Pa.),  on  the  Delaware  River,  15  miles 
below  Philadelphia.  The  celebrated  ship-yards 
of  John  Roach,  which  give  employment  to  2500 
men,  are  situated  here.  Pop.  15,000. 

Chest-rope.     Guess-rope,  or  guess-warp. 

Chevender.  An  old  name  for  the  chevin  or 
chub. 

Chevil.     See  CAVIL. 

Chevron.  The  distinguishing  stripes  on  the 
sleeves  of  non-commissioned  officers  of  marines. 

Chevy.  To  shake  or  force  with  a  shivering 
motion. 

Chewing  Oakum,  or  Pitch.  Said  of  a  vessel 
which  leaks  from  inefficient  calking,  or  on  ac 
count  of  the  working  of  her  timbers. 

Chicago  (111.),  a  port  of  entry  and  the  most 
important  centre  of  commerce  in  the  North 
western  States,  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Chicago  River,  on  the  southwestern  bend  of  Lake 
Michigan.  Lat.  41°  53/  3"  N. ;  Ion.  87°  37'  30" 
W.  The  length  of  the  city  from  north  to  south 
is  from  7  to  8  miles,  and  its  breadth  from  east  to 
west  about  5  miles  ;  area,  about  36  square  miles. 


It  is  divided  by  the  Chicago  River  and  its 
branches  into  three  parts,  the  north,  south,  and 
west  divisions,  which  are  connected  by  33 
bridges  and  2  stone  tunnels  under  the  river-bed, 
one  1890  feet  long  under  the  main  river,  the 
other  1608  feet  long,  under  the  South  Branch. 
Of  these  divisions  the  west  is  nearly  double  the 
size  of  the  other  two  combined,  embracing  15,104 
acres,  while  the  north  contains  but  2533  acres, 
and  the  south  5363  acres.  The  imports  into  Chi 
cago  during  1879  aggregated  19,000,000.  The 
amount  of  duties  received  was  $1,451,536.  The 
exports  reached  the  large  sum  of  $10,000,000. 
The  first  shipment  of  wheat  was  made  from  Chi 
cago  in  1839,  and  amounted  to  1678  bushels.  In 
1879  the  receipts  of  grain  of  all  kinds  were 
138,154,571  bushels,  while  the  shipments  were 
121 ,094,000  bushels.  Pop.  477,000. 

Chief.  A  familiar  appellation  for  the  senior 
engineer  on  board  ship. 

Chief  Officer,  or  Chief  Mate.  The  first  mate  ; 
an  officer  of  a  merchant  vessel  next  in  rank  to 
the  master. 

Chief-of- staff.  A  line-officer  who  is  attached 
to  the  flag-ship,  and  assists  the  commander-in- 
chief  or  flag-officer  in  the  various  details  and 
arrangements  for  the  management  of  the  fleet  or 
squadron.  At  present  the  duties  of  the  chief-of- 
staif  are  performed  by  the  commanding  officer 
of  the  flag-ship. 

Chigre.  A  minute  insect  of  tropical  countries, 
which  pierces  th6  bottom  of  the  foot  and  breeds 
there,  producing  great  pain.  See  JIGGER. 

Chili.  This  comparatively  small  republic, 
which  cast  oif  the  Spanish  yoke  in  1810,  now 
boasts  a  population  of  2,000,000,  an  annual  ex 
port  trade  of  $19,000,000,  and  a  revenue  of 
$20,000,000.  Its  greatest  enemies  are  its  near 
neighbors,  and  to  check  them  the  state  main 
tains  a  navy  of  10  small  steamers  of  120  to  300 
horse-power,  and  2  powerful  ironclads.  These 
two  latter  vessels  are  each  210  feet  long  and  45 
feet  in  breadth,  of  2200  tons  measurement,  and 
of  2500  horse-power.  The  battery  is  amidship, 
and  is  armed  with  6  12£-ton  rifled  guns.  The 
range  of  fire  in  both  ships  is  peculiar,  for  al 
though  they  have  the  appearance  of  ordinary 
broadside  ships,  they  are  able,  with  the  three 
guns  on  each  side,  to  fire  over  all  the  points  of 
the  compass.  This  advantage  was  obtained  by 
placing  each  of  the  fore-and-aft  guns  at  the  cor 
ners  of  the  battery,  and  raising  the  side  of  the 
ship  so  as  to  enable  the  foremost  guns  to  fire 
right  forward  and  in  a  line  with  the  keel,  and 
in  like  manner  the  aft  guns  fire  right  aft.  The 
corners  of  the  batteries  are  made  of  an  octagonal 
shape,  so  that  the  same  guns  which  fire  right 
forward  and  aft  can  be  brought  into  the  broad 
side  position,  and  command  any  angle  between 
them  and  the  line  of  the  keel.  The  midship 
guns  on  each  side  are  made  to  fire  with  broad 
side,  and  also  to  support  the  fire  of  the  forward 
guns. 

Chilled  Shot.  Shot  which  are  rapidly  cooled 
after  being  cast.  They  are  very  hard  but  brittle. 

Chimbe,  Chime,  or  Chine.  The  ends  of  the 
staves  which  project  beyond  the  head  of  a  cask. 

CHIMBE  AND  CHIMBE.  End  to  end ;  as,  casks 
or  barrels. 

Chime  in.     To  join  in. 

Chinckle.     A  small  bight  in  a  line. 

Chine.    To  hollow  out  slightly.     That  part 


CHINESE  NAVY 


127 


CHINESE  NAVY 


of  the  water-way  which  is  above  the  deck  and 
hollowed  out  or  beveled  off  to  the  spirketing. 
See  CHIMBE. 

Chinese  Navy,  The.  The  Chinese  navy  dates 
back  to  a  period  before  the  foundation  of  the 
British  navy  was  laid  under  the  last  two  Henrys. 
The  art  of  ship-building  has  a  great  antiquity  in 
China.  The  junks  of  to-day,  unaltered  as  they 
are  from  designs  dating  centuries  back,  will  com 
pare  favorably  with  the  coasting  craft  of  some 
Western  countries  now,  and  those  in  existence 
nearly  three  hundred  years  ago  must  have 
equaled  in  most  respects  and  surpassed  in  many 
the  barques,  pinnaces,  and  caravals  which  sailed 
under  the  successors  of  Magellan  and  Andrade. 
The  sea-going  war-junks  were  often  of  large  size, 
easily  handled,  and  not  bad  sailers.  Many  of 
them  had  high  bulwarks  and  pentagonal  port 
holes.  Guns  were  mounted  only  on  the  upper 
deck,  frequently  on  immovable  carriages,  and 
the  crews  had  but  the  most  slender  knowledge  of 
gunnery. 

Early  European  travelers  were  often  struck  by 
the  condition  of  the  Chinese  forces.  Of  the  navy, 
one  authority  writes  :  "  The  greatest  ships  they 
have  are  called  'juncos,'  which  are  very  great 
and  are  made  for  the  wars,  with  castles  very  high 
in  the  poop  and  prore,  like  to  the  ships  of  the 
Levant.  There  are  so  many  of  these  that  it  is 
easy  for  any  general  of  the  sea  to  join  together 
in  a  little  time  a  navy  of  from  five  hundred  to  a 
thousand  of  them." 

But  from  the  early  part  of  the  17th  century 
onward,  while  progress  in  Europe  was  rapid, 
Chinese  naval  architecture  remained  stationary. 
When  the  British  first  came  to  blows  with  the 
Chinese  nearly  forty  years  ago,  their  army  and 
navy  were  equipped  in  a  manner  which  showed 
that  but  little  advancement  had  been  made  since 
the  middle  of  the  17th  century. 

"  In  1876  a  naval  yard  was  established  near 
Shanghai,  and  though  there  are  a  few  English 
men  and  Americans  holding  posts  in  it,  the  con 
trol  of  it  is  exclusively  in  the  hands  of  native 
officials.  Two  steam-frigates  of  nearly  3000  tons 
measurement  and  five  gun-vessels  had  been 
launched  from  it  three  years  ago,  and  a  small 
ironclad  for  river  service  completed.  Of  the  fri 
gates  one  was  in  commission,  and  the  writer, 
who  has  seen  her  actually  at  sea,  was  allowed  to 
go  over  her  when  lying  at  anchor  near  Shanghai. 
She  is  a  handsome  craft,  completely  armed  with 
Krupp  guns.  Her  crew  from  the  captain  down, 
without  exception,  is  composed  of  native  China 
men.  She  did  the  Chinese  credit  in  all  respects. 
Attached  to  the  dock-yard  is  a  large  military 
arsenal,  in  which  are  stored  guns  and  small-arms 
of  all  descriptions,  and  in  which  projectiles  for 
heavy  and  field  guns  and  breech-loading  rifles 
of  the  Remington  pattern  were  being  continu 
ously  produced.  Heavy  machinery  for  the  manu 
facture  of  armor-plates  was  being  erected  in  a 
portion  of  the  works.  On  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river  may  be  seen  the  great  powder-factory, 
not  long  ago  constructed  for  the  manufacture  of 
gunpowder  of  the  European  kind. 

"  But  perhaps  the  most  marked  instance  of 
progress  in  this  direction  is  to  be  observed  at,  or 
rather  near,  the  treaty  port  of  Foochow.  Under 
the  authority  of  the  distinguished  Tso-Tsung- 
Tang,  M.  Giguel,  an  officer  of  the  French  navy, 
began  some  twelve  years  ago  to  form  a  dock-yard 


on  the  Min  Kiver,  a  few  miles  below  the  city 
just  mentioned,  which  could  be  easily  fortified. 
The  extraordinary  success  which  has  attended 
his  labors  will  be  understood  by  some  knowledge 
of  the  difficulties  with  which  he  had  to  contend. 
The  very  ground  on  which  the  navy-yard  is 
formed  had  to  be  made.  The  soil  was  alluvial, 
formed  by  a  thick  layer  of  solidified  mud  covered 
with  a  coating  of  nearly  liquid  clay.  In  conse 
quence  of  the  freshets  in  the  river,  the  level  of 
the  ground  had  to  be  raised  five  feet.  In  spite 
of  these  and  other  disadvantages,  M.  Giguel,  at 
the  end  of  seven  years,  had  iron-works,  rolling- 
mills,  engine-factories,  and  building-slips — in 
fact,  all  the  plant  of  a  naval  yard — in  full  work 
ing  order ;  and  had  actually  built  the  engines, 
and,  in  some  cases,  the  armament  for  no  less 
than  fifteen  vessels,  of  which  eleven  were  over 
1000  tons  displacement.  Not  only  this,  but  a 
school  for  naval  officers  had  been  formed,  and  a 
training-ship,  fitted  to  make  cruises  at  sea,  had 
been  attached  to  the  establishment. 

"Even  this  account  of  several  great  arsenals 
would  not  exhaust  all  that  might  be  said  in  de 
scription  of  what  has  recently  been  done  in  China 
to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  army  and  navy, 
which  she  has  begun  to'consider  necessary  to  her 
well-being." 

The  Chinese  do  not  rely  entirely  upon  their 
own  dock-yards  constructors.  In  addition  to  the 
fleet  of  native  production,  they  have  recently 
had  constructed  in  England  a  series  of  gunboats 
of  the  latest  types,  armed  with  the  most  improved 
and  heaviest  guns. 

In  1876-78  four  gunboats  were  completed  at 
the  works  of  Sir  William  Armstrong  for  the 
Chinese  government,  of  the  British  "Staunch" 
type,  designed  by  a  member  of  the  firm,  the 
talented  engineer,  Mr.  G.  W.  Rendel,  but  in 
which  several  important  improvements  upon 
that  type  were  introduced.  These  boats  were 
named  "Alpha,"  "Beta,"  "Gamma,"  and 
"Delta."  The  first  two  are  each  118  feet  long 
and  27  feet  beam,  with  a  mean  draft  of  7  feet 
6  inches,  and  a  displacement  of  319  tons.  The 
last  two  are  120  feet  between  perpendiculars  by 
30  feet  beam,  having  a  draft  of  8  feet  and  a 
displacement  of  400  tons.  They  are  schooner- 
rigged,  with  tripod  masts,  are  propelled  by  twin- 
screws,  and  can  steam  9  knots  per  hour. 

But  the  increased  dimensions  of  these  last  two 
vessels  were  of  trivial  importance  compared  with 
the  difference  in  their  armament ;  for  while  the 
first  two  carry  each  a  26J-ton  gun,  the  others 
carry  each  a  38-ton  gun  of  the^British  service 
pattern.  The  mounting  of  these  guns  on  vessels 
of  only  400  tons  displacement  was  a  most  daring 
innovation,  and  its  boldness  becomes  more  ap 
parent  when  we  remember  that  the  only  guns 
of  the  same  weight  and  calibre  then  afloat  were 
the  two  in  the  fore-turret  of  the  great  British 
ship  "Thunderer,"  and  that  vessels  of  the  size 
of  these  generally  carried  guns  not  exceeding  5 
or  6  tons  in  weight,  and  even  the  "Staunch," 
considered  a  serious  innovation,  a  gun  of  only 
12J  tons  weight. 

The  system  of  working  these  guns  is  notice 
able,  the  piece  being  so  much  heavier  than  those 
used  in  the  English  boats,  and  the  little  vessel 
herself  being  made  to  act  as  the  gun-carriage. 
The  gun  is  worked  by  hydraulic  power,  and  the 
entire  arrangement  of  the  mechanism  is  similar 


CHINESE  NAVY 


128 


CHOMMEKY 


to  that  employed  by  the  Italians  in  working  the 
100-ton  gun  at  Spezia.  Two  heavy  iron  beams 
in  the  fore  part  of  the  vessel  are  placed  side  by 
side,  on  a  level  with  the  deck  and  parallel  with 
the  keel ;  on  these  beams  are  bolted  frames  analo 
gous  to  the  cross-head  guides  of  a  horizontal 
engine,  and  the  trunnions  of  the  gun  are  fitted 
in  side-blocks,  these  last  taking  the  place  of  the 
cross-head.  Thus  arranged,  the  gun  can  slide 
back  and  forth  through  a  range  of  about  three 
feet.  The  preponderance  at  the  breech-end  is 
supported  by  two  secondary  parallel  bars  inside 
the  main  gun-beams.  These  are  hinged  at  the 
rear  end,  while  at  the  forward  end  they  are  car 
ried  on  the  cross-head  of  a  vertical  hydraulic 
ram  fixed  beneath  the  deck.  The  breech-end  of 
the  gun  is  supplied  with  a  hoop  and  lugs;  the 
lugs  rest  on  the  two  secondary  bars  near  their 
hinged  ends,  and  thus,  by  causing  the  hydraulic 
ram  to  rise  or  fall,  the  gun  can  be  elevated  or 
depressed  at  will.  No  turning  gear  is  provided, 
the  lateral  training  of  the  gun  being  effected  by 
turning  the  whole  boat  through  the  required 
arc  by  the  use  of  the  rudder  and  twin-screws. 
To  run  the  gun  in  and  out,  two  hydraulic  cylin 
ders  are  used,  one  of  which  is  fixed  horizontally 
on  each  side-beam,  the  cross-heads  of  the  rams 
taking  hold  of  the  trunnion  side-blocks.  The  re 
coil  is  taken  up  by  these  rams,  or,  more  property, 
pistons,  delivering  water  under  a  weighted  valve. 
The  gun  is  loaded  by  a  hydraulic  rammer,  the 
shot  being  brought  to  the  muzzle  by  a  trolley  or 
carriage,  off  which  it  is  pushed  into  the  bore. 

During  the  trials  of  the  "  Gamma,"  the  38-ton 
gun  was  fired  with  charges  consisting  of  180 
pounds  of  powder  behind  an  800-pound  projectile, 
the  elevation  being  3£  degrees.  The  initial 
velocity  was  1500  feet  per  second,  and,  as  tested 
at  Shoeburyness,  capable  of  penetrating  19£ 
inches  of  iron  in  three  thicknesses,  sandwiched 
with  10  inches  of  teak.  In  addition  to  the  heavy 
guns,  two  12-pounders  are  also  carried,  and  a 
machine-gun  of  the  Gatling  type. 

These  vessels  are  iron-built,  and  each  carries 
50  tons  of  coal  and  50  rounds  of  ammunition. 
They  all  made  successful  passages  to  China,  the 
first  two  being  delivered  at  Foochow  in  187G, 
and  the  last  two  at  Tientsin  in  1878. 

But  the  Chinese  did  not  stop  with  the  con 
struction  of  these  four  boats.  Four  more,  built 
on  the  Tyne  under  the  supervision  of  the  Elswick 
firm,  and  armed  each  with  a  35-ton  gun  of  the 
Armstrong  new  type,  sailed  from  England  in 
July,  1879,  for  China.  These  boats,  or  "  floating 
gun-carriages,"  are  substantially  of  the  same  de 
sign  and  construction  as  those  which  have  already 
been  described.  The  most  important  difference 
is  that  they  are  built  of  steel  instead  of  iron,  and 
are  double-ended,  the  stern  and  bow  lines  being 
after  the  same  model,  and  are  fitted  with  bow 
rudders,  which  enable  them  to  steam  either  back 
ward  or  forward.  The  bulwarks  have  been 
heightened  to  give  additional  cover  to  the  men. 

In  addition  to  the  vessels  already  described, 
there  have  also  been  built  in  England  for  the 
Chinese  navy  eight  small  gunboats,  of  from  100 
to  220  tons  displacement,  each  carrying  from  2 
to  7  guns. 

At  the  Foochow  arsenal  there  have  been  built 
seventeen  composite  gunboats,  each  mounting 
one  7-ton  or  9-ton  gun  with  other  light  pieces, 
one  composite  corvette,  carrying  11  guns,  one  of 


11  tons  weight,  and  three  transports.  There  are 
also  the  two  wooden  frigates  and  the  five  gun- 
vessels  already  mentioned  as  constructed  at 
Shanghai.  All  of  these  vessels  are  now  doing 
duty  in  southern  waters. 

In  addition  to  these  gunboats,  the  Chinese 
have  determined  to  still  further  equip  themselves 
for  coast  defense  by  providing  a  supply  of  tor 
pedo-boats,  and  the  first  of  the  series  proposed, 
an  experimental  boat,  was  shipped  from  England 
to  China  in  August,  1879.  Its  dimensions  are 
as  follows:  length,  52  feet;  breadth,  7  feet; 
mean  draft  of  water,  3  feet  6  inches ;  maxi 
mum  speed,  16  knots  per  hour.  It  is  built  of 
steel,  is  divided  by  six  water-tight  compartments, 
and  is  arranged  to  work  three  spar-torpedoes. 

The  Chinese  authorities  have  also  taken  the 
initiative  step  in  the  formation  of  an  ironclad 
fleet,  by  ordering  from  Messrs.  Mitchell  &  Co., 
on  the'  Tyne,  England,  a  double-turreted  steel 
armor-clad,  to  have  a  speed  of  16  knots,  the  ma 
chinery  to  be  built  by  Hawthorne,  of  Newcastle. 

Chinse.  To  stop  small  seams  by  working  in 
oakum  with  a  knife  or  small  iron  when  the  searn 
will  not  bear  the  force  required  for  calking. 

CHINSING-IRON.     A  light  calking-iron. 

Chip.  The  triangular  piece  of  wood  attached 
to  the  log-Tine.  See  LOG. 

Chips.  The  familiar  sobriquet  of  the  carpenter 
on  board  ship. 

Chit.  A  note ;  an  I.  O.  U.  In  China  they 
have  a  silver  currency  which  being  inconvenient 
to  carry,  credit  is  universally  given  by  the  mer 
chants,  the  purchaser  giving  a  chit,  which  is  pre 
sented  for  settlement  at  the  end  of  the  month. 

CHIT-BOOK.  A  book  of  printed  forms  for 
chits. 

Chiton.  A  mollusk  with  a  many  -jointed 
shell  covering  its  back. 

Chiule.     A  Saxon  ship. 

Chivey.     A  knife. 

Chock.  Entirely  ;  quite;  as,  chock-full,  chock- 
home,  chock-aft,  etc.  A  sort  of  wedge  used  to 
prevent  a  cask,  or  any  other  heavy  body,  from 
moving.  Also,  a  small  piece  of  wood  fitted  neatly 
into  a  larger  piece  of  timber,  in  order  to  make 
good  some  deficiency  in  the  main  piece.  Also, 
a  piece  sometimes  placed  between  the  head  of 
the  lower  mast  and  the  head  of  the  topmast. 

CHOCK-A-BLOCK.     See  BLOCK-AND-BLOCK. 

CHOCK-CHANNELS.  Channels  with  the  spaces 
between  the  chain-plates  filled  in  with  wood. 

CHOCK  OF  THE  BOWSPRIT.  A  wedge-shaped 
piece  fayed  to  fit  the  hole  above  the  bowsprit, 
after  the  bowsprit  was  shipped,  in  order  to 
secure  it. 

CHOCK  or  THE  RUDDER.  In  former  times 
a  piece  of  timber  fitted  and  kept  in  readiness  to 
stop  the  motion  of  the  rudder  in  the  case  of  an}' 
accident,  and  while  a  new  tiller  was  being 
shipped. 

Chocolate-gale.  A  brisk  N.W.  wind  of  the 
West  Indies  and  Spanish  main. 

Chogset.     See  BURGALL. 

Choke.  The  nip  of  a  rocket.  To  foul ;  as,  a 
rope  in  a  block.  To  choke  the  luff,  to  thrust  the 
hauling  part  of  a  tackle  close  up  to  the  block, 
under  the  other  parts,  thus  jamming  the  hauling 
part  and  keeping  the  tackle  from  rendering. 

Chokey.     Inchokey,  in  jail ;  in  the  brig. 

Chommery.  Jack's  word  for  chasse-marce,  a 
French  coasting-vessel. 


CHOP 


129 


CHRONOMETER 


Chop  (Chinese).  A  permit,  or  clearance. 
Quality  ;  as,  first  chop,  second  chop,  etc.  A  de 
vice  or  trade-mark. 

CHOP-BOAT.  A  licensed  lighter  employed  ,in 
transporting  goods. 

CHOP-DOLLAR.  In  China,  when  the  silver 
dollar  passes  into  a  bank  or  large  mercantile 
house  it  is  tested  and  stamped  ;  in  the  course  of 
time  these  impressions  become  so  numerous  that 
the  piece  of  silver  bears  little  resemblance  to  the 
original  coin.  From  the  resemblance  which  one 
of  these  coins  bears  to  the  face  of  a  person  badly 
marked  with  smallpox,  the  individual  so  marked 
receives  the  sobriquet  of  chop-dollar. 

Chop  About.  When  the  wind  changes  its 
direction  suddenly  it  chops  about. 

Chopping-sea.  Tumbling  waves  dashing 
against  each  other. 

Chops.  The  junction  of  a  channel  with  the 
sea ;  as,  the  chops  of  the  English  Channel. 

Chow.     See  CHOW-CHOW. 

Chow-chow.  A  word  from  the  Chinese,  mean 
ing  eatables. 

CHOW-CHOW  CHOP.  The  lighter  containing 
the  articles  which  complete  a  ship's  cargo. 

CHOW-CHOW  WATER.  Strong  cross-currents 
and  eddies  in  which  vessels  are  difficult  to 
manage. 

Chowder.  A  dish  made  of  pork,  biscuit, 
onions,  etc.,  and  fresh  fish  or  clams. 

Chowder-head.     A  stupid  fellow. 

Christening  a  Ship.  The  present  system  of 
"christening"  ships  may  be  considered  a  relic 
of  the  ancient  libation  practiced  when  they  were 
launched.  The  action  of  "blessing"  ships  is 
alluded  to  by  the  monks  of  St.  Denys.  In  July, 
1418,  the  Bishop  of  Bangor  was  sent  to  South 
ampton  to  "bless"  the  king's  ship,  the  "Grace 
Dieu,"  and  received  £5  for  his  expenses.  In 
the  fleet  commanded  by  John  de  Outremarins 
against  the  Tunisians,  according  to  ancient  cus 
tom  and  to  insure  success,  the  ships  were  blessed 
by  the  priests  ;  and  being  afterwards  exposed  to 
storms,  the  captains  desired  the  soldiers  and  sail 
ors  to  invoke  the  Lord,  and  while  they  were  at 
frayer  the  wind  became  suddenly  favorable.  In 
242,  when  Henry  III.  was  at  war  with  France, 
a  fleet  was  prepared  in  which  that  monarch  em 
barked,  after  visiting  the  shrines  of  many  saints, 
to  propitiate  their  influence  against  storms,  and 
to  insure  success  to  his  arms.  Before  the  Refor 
mation  it  was  usual  for  the  priests  at  Yarmouth 
to  give  a  blessing  to  the  fishing-vessels  yearly, 
and  it  was  afterwards  customary  for  the  minister 
of  the  parish  to  preach  a  "  fishing"  sermon. 

Christian.     A  gold  Danish  coin. 

Christiania.  The  capital  of  Norway,  situated 
at  the  head  of  the  Christiania-Fiord,  in  lat.  59° 
54'  V  N.,  Ion.  10°  45'  E.  The  fiord  is  frozen 
for  two  months  of  the  year  from  about  20  miles 
from  Christiania  to  the  sea,  and  the  harbor  is 
generally  locked  up  for  three  or  four  months. 
Pop.  100,000. 

Christiansand.  A  town  of  Norway,  near  its 
southern  extremity,  on  a  fiord  of  the  Skager- 
Rack,  157  miles  southwest  of  Christiania.  Lat. 
58°  8'  N.  ;  Ion.  8°  3'  E.  The  harbor  is  deep  and 
well  sheltered,  and  is  defended  by  several  bat 
teries  and  by  the  fort  of  Christianholm,  on  the 
small  island  of  Oddero,  at  the  entrance  of  the 
harbor.  Pop.  13,000. 

Christian's  Gales.   The  fearful  gales  of  1795- 


96,  which  nearly  destroyed  a  fleet  under  Admiral 
Christian  while  on  his  way  to  attack  the  French 
West  India  Islands. 

Chrockle.     A  thorough-foot  (which  see). 

Chronometer  (Gr.  chronos,  time ;  metron,  a 
measure).  A  time-piece  of  superior  construc 
tion,  having  adjustments  and  compensations  for 
changes  of  temperature.  The  proposition  to  de 
termine  the  longitude  at  sea  by  means  of  a  time 
piece  and  observation  of  the  heavenly  bodies 
was  made  by  Gemma  Frisius  in  1530.  In  1714 
the  British  government  offered  a  reward  of 
£20,000  to  the  person  who  should  so  perfect  this 
method  as  to  determine  the  longitude  within  30 
miles.  In  1758  John  Harrison  received  this  re 
ward,  his  chronometer  having  shown  an  error  of 
18  miles  during  a  five  months'  voyage.  At  the 
present  day,  under  favorable  circumstances,  lon 
gitude  determined  by  a  chronometer  can  be  relied 
upon  to  within  two  or  three  miles,  and  even  this 
small  error  is  due  rather  to  the  faults  of  observa 
tion  than  to  the  imperfections  of  the  instrument. 
A  sea-chronometer  has  for  its  moving-power  a 
spring,  the  force  of  which  is  made  uniform  by  a 
variable  lever  ;  it  is  carried  through  all  varieties 
of  climate,  and  is  therefore  furnished  with  an 
expansion  balance,  formed  by  a  combination  of 
metals  of  different  expansive  qualities. 

In  carrying  a  chronometer  to  and  from  the 
ship  the  gimbals  are  steadied  by  the  stay,  and 
care  is  taken  not  to  give  the  instrument  a  circu 
lar  motion.  When  on  board,  the  chronometer 
is  placed  in  a  position  not  exposed  to  currents  of 
air  nor  to  sudden  shocks,  such  as  are  occasioned 
by  the  striking  of  a  sea  against  the  side,  or  by 
the  firing  of  salutes,  etc.,  and  metallic  substances 
are  kept  at  a  distance  from  it. 

The  chronometers  in  use  on  board  ship  are 
generally  constructed  to  run  for  56  hours,  but 
they  are  wound  every  day  at  8  A.M.  In  wind 
ing"  it  is  handled  carefully  and  the  key  turned 
steadily ;  a  pocket-chronometer  is  held  immov 
able  in  one  hand  in  order  to  avoid  a  circular  mo 
tion.  If  a  chronometer  should  run  down,  it  is 
started  by  giving  it  a  quick  circular  motion  in 
the  plane  of  the  dial ;  the  hands  are  never 
touched.  As  no  chronometer  is  absolutely  per 
fect,  the  navigator  ascertains  its  error  and  makes 
allowance  for  it.  Three  chronometers  are  sup 
plied  to  government  vessels,  and  they  are  com 
pared  with  each  other  every  day ;  a  sudden 
change  in  one  will  be  shown  by  the  other  two. 

CHRONOMETER,  ERROR  or.  The  error  of  the 
chronometer  is  the  difference  between  the  time 
indicated  by  it  and  any  other  given  time.  The 
error  is  fast  or  slow  as  the  chronometer  is  in  ad 
vance  of  or  behind  the  time  in  question.  Before 
sailing  the  navigator  must  know  the  error  of 
his  chronometer.  It  can  be  determined  in  a 
variety  of  ways,  the  most  reliable,  of  which  is  a 
comparison  of  the  chronometer  with  the  clock  of 
an  observatory.  The  general  use  of  time-balls 
renders  the  clocks  of  the  observatories  available 
to  everybody.  In  our  ports  the  time  at  noon  is 
always  received  at  the  telegraph-offices  from  the 
naval  observatory  at  Washington.  If  unable  to 
compare  the  chronometer  with  the  clock  of  an 
observatory,  the  error  is  found  by  means  of  a 
sextant  and  an  artificial  horizon,  either  by  a 
time-sight  of  the  sun  or  star,  or  by  equal  alti 
tudes  of  the  sun  or  star. 

CHRONOMETER,  RATE  or.  The  rate  is  the  daily 


CHUB 


130 


CIKCLE 


change  of  error ;  it  is  gaining  when  the  chro 
nometer  is  running  too  fast ;  losing  if  too  slow. 
The  rate  is  determined  by  finding  the  error  on 
different  days,  and  dividing  the  change  of  error 
by  the  number  of  days  elapsed  between  the  ob 
servations.  On  arrival  at  the  first  port  after  the 
beginning  of  a  cruise,  the  navigator  will  gener 
ally  find  that  the  error  of  his  chronometers,  as 
shown  by  an  observation  or  by  comparison  with 
an  astronomical  clock,  does  not  coincide  with  the 
error  shown  by  the  rate  obtained  before  sailing. 
By  dividing  the  difference  between  this  new  error 
and  the  error  on  the  day  of  sailing  by  the  num 
ber  of  days  elapsed  a  new  rate  is  obtained,  which 
is  called  the  sea-rate,  and  thereafter  is  always 
made  use  of  when  at  sea. 

Chub.  The  Leuciscus  cephalis,  a  fresh-water 
fish. 

Chuck.    A  sea-shell.     See  CHOCK. 

Chuckle-head.  A  stupid  fellow;  a  lubber. 
A  person  with  a  large  round  head. 

Chunam.  A  cement  used  in  the  East  for  the 
seams  of  ships.  It  becomes  very  hard,  and  when 
of  good  quality  will  take  a  polish. 

Chunk-block.  A  strongly-made  block,  having 
a  metal  sheave  and  a  large  swallow. 

Church.  To  riff  church,  to  arrange  the  seats, 
altar,  etc.,  for  divine  service  on  board  ship.  To 
unrig  church,  to  clear  up  the  decks  after  service. 

Chute,  or  Shoot.  A  pipe  or  channel  for  con 
veying  ashes,  refuse  matter,  and  other  articles 
down  to  a  lower  level. 

Cigar-boat.  A  peculiar  boat  shaped  like  a 
spindle,  constructed  by  Winans. 

Cingle.     A  belt  worn  by  sailors. 

Cinque  Ports,  The.  These  are  five  highly 
privileged  stations,  the  once  great  emporiums 
of  British  commerce  and  maritime  greatness ; 
they  are  Dover,  Hastings,  Sandwich,  Komney, 
and  Hythe,  which,  lying  opposite  to  France, 
were  considered  of  the  utmost  importance.  To 
these  were  afterwards  added  Winchelsea,  Rye, 
and  Seaford.  These  places  were  honored  with 
peculiar  immunities  and  privileges,  on  condi 
tion  of  their  providing  a  certain  number  of  ships 
at  their  own  charge  for  forty  days.  Being  ex 
empted  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  admiralty 
court,  the  Lord  Warden  of  the  Cinque  Ports  is 
authorized  to  make  rules  for  the  government  of 
pilots  within  his  jurisdiction,  and  in  many  other 
general  acts  exceptions  are  provided  to  save  the 
franchises  of  the  Cinque  Ports  unimpeached.  It 
is  a  singular  fact  that  it  has  never  been  legally 
determined  whether  the  Downs  and  adjacent 
roadsteads  are  included  in  the  limits  of  the  Cinque 
Ports.  All  derelicts  found  without  the  limits 
by  Cinque  Port  vessels  are  droits  of  admiralty. 
This  organization  was  nearly  broken  up  in  the 
late  state  reforms,  but  the  Lord  Warden  still 
possesses  some  power  and  jurisdiction. 

Cipango.  A  marvelous  island  described  by 
Marco  Polo,  and  represented  as  lying  in  the  east 
ern  seas,  1500  miles  from  the  mainland.  It  was 
an  object  of  diligent  search  with  Columbus  and 
the  early  navigators.  It  is  supposed  by  some  to 
be  the  same  as  Japan.  (Written  also  Lipangi.} 

Circinus.  The  Roman  compass.  See  CON 
STELLATION. 

Circle.  A  plain  figure  bounded  by  a  curve, 
every  point  of  which  is  equally  distant  from  a 
point  within  it.  The  line  bounding  a  circle. 

CIRCLE,  ASTRONOMICAL.    A  reflecting  instru 


ment  for  measuring  angles,  in  which  the  limb  is 
a  complete  circle  of  metal ;  as,  the  mural  circle, 
reflecting  circle,  repeating  circle,  etc. 

CIRCLE,  DIURNAL.  The  diurnal  circle  of  a 
heavenly  body  is  the  circle  it  describes  in  the 
apparent  daily  revolution  of  the  celestial  sphere. 
It  is  the  parallel  of  declination  passing  through 
the  body ;  only  when  the  body  is  in  the  equinoc 
tial  is  it  a  great  circle.  At  the  equinoxes  the 
sun's  diurnal  circle  is  the  equinoctial ;  at  the 
summer  and  winter  solstices,  its  diurnal  circle  in 
the  heavens  corresponds  to  the  tropics  of  Cancer 
and  Capricorn  on  the  surface  of  the  earth. 

CIRCLE,  HOUR.  A  great  circle  of  the  celes 
tial  sphere  perpendicular  to  the  equinoctial,  and 
therefore  passing  through  the  poles  of  the  heav 
ens.  See  CO-ORDINATES  FOR  THE  SURFACE  OF 
A  SPHERE. 

CIRCLE  OF  ALTITUDE,  DECLINATION,  LATI 
TUDE.  In  the  different  systems  of  co-ordinates 
for  the  surface  of  the  celestial  sphere,  it  is  the 
common  practice  to  regard  the  secondary  great 
circles  as  ordinate  circles  to  the  primitive,  and 
they  are  hence  named  after  that  one  of  the  co 
ordinates  which  is  measured  upon  them.  Thus, 
the  great  circles  which  are  ordinate  circles  to  the 
horizon  are  called  Circles  of  Altitude,  because  al 
titudes  are  measured  upon  them  ;  the  great  cir 
cles  which  are  ordinate  circles  to  the  equinoctial 
are  called  Circles  of  Declination,  because  declina 
tions  are  measured  upon  them ;  and  the  great 
circles  which  are  ordinate  circles  to  the  ecliptic 
are  called  Circles  of  Latitude,  because  latitudes 
are  measured  upon  them.  Under  a  different 
system  of  nomenclature  these  are  severally  called 
Circles  of  Azimuth,  Circles  of  Right  Ascension, 
and  Circles  of  Longitude,  See  CO-ORDINATES 
FOR  THE  SUR'FACE  OF  A  SPHERE. 

CIRCLE. OF  A  SPHERE.  A  circle  on  the  sur 
face  of  a  sphere ;  when  its  plane  passes  through 
the  centre  of  the  sphere  it  is  a  great  circle  ;  in  all 
other  cases  it  is  a  small  circle. 

CIRCLE  OF  AZIMUTH,  RIGHT  ASCENSION, 
LONGITUDE.  In  the  different  systems  of  co 
ordinates  for  the  surface  of  the  celestial  sphere, 
some  writers  allow  the  conception  of  polar  co 
ordinates  to  predominate,  and  thus  regard  the 
secondary  great  circles  as  sweeping  out  angles 
at  the  pole  ;  they  therefore  name  them  after  that 
one  of  the  co-ordinates  which  is  marked  out  by 
them.  Thus,  the  great  circles  passing  through 
the  poles  of  the  horizon  are  called  Circles  of 
Azimuth,  because  they  each  mark  out  all  points 
which  have  the  same  azimuth  ;  the  great  circles 
passing  through  the  poles  of  the  equinoctial  are 
called  Circles  of  Right  Ascension,  because  they 
each  mark  out  all  points  which  have  the  same 
right  ascension  ;  and  the  great  circles  passing 
through  the  poles  of  the  ecliptic  are  called  Cir 
cles  of  Longitude,  because  they  each  mark  out 
all  points  which  have  the  same  longitude.  Under 
a  different  system  of  nomenclature  these  are  sev 
erally  called  Circles  of  Altitude,  Circles  of  Decli 
nation,  Circles  of  Latitude.  See  CO-ORDINATES 
FOR  THE  SURFACE  OF  A  SPHERE. 

CIRCLE  OF  ILLUMINATION.  Approximately 
one-half  of  the  earth's  surface  is  always  illu 
minated  by  the  sun,  while  the  opposite*  hemi 
sphere  is  in  the  shade.  The  great  circle  which 
at  any  instant  is  the  boundary  between  the  illu 
minated  and  darkened  hemispheres  is  called  the 
Circle  of  Illumination. 


CIRCUIT 


131 


CLARK 


CIRCLE  OF  PERPETUAL  APPARITION.  A  cir 
cle  within  which  the  heavenly  bodies  are  always 
above  the  horizon. 

CIRCLE  OF  PERPETUAL  OCCULTATION.  A 
circle  within  which  the  heavenly  bodies  are  al 
ways  below  the  horizon. 

CIRCLE,  POLAR.  The  polar  circles  are  small 
circles  of  the  terrestrial  sphere,  parallel  to  the 
equator,  and  23°  28'  distant  from  the  poles.  The 
northern  is  the  arctic,  and  the  southern  the  ant 
arctic  circle. 

CIRCLE,  VERTICAL.  A  great  circle  passing 
through  the  zenith  ;  the  prime  vertical  passes 
through  the  east  and  west  points  of  the  horizon. 

Circuit.  A  continuous  electrical  communica 
tion.  A  metallic  circuit  is  one  in  which  a  return 
wire  is  used.  To  short  circuit  a  battery  is  to 
connect  its  poles  by  a  conductor  whose  resistance 
is  practically  zero." 

Circular.  An  official  letter,  generally  printed, 
copies  of  which  are  sent  to  several  persons. 

Circulating  Pump.  A  pump  used  in  connec 
tion  with  surface-condensers  for  circulating  the 
refrigerating  water  through  or  among  the  tubes. 
It  may  be  driven  either  directly  by  the  recipro 
cating  parts  of  the  main  engine,  or  by  the  inter 
vention  of  beams  or  levers,  or  by  an  independent 
engine.  In  the  latter  case  rotary  pumps  are 
much  used.  The  refrigerating  water  is  drawn 
through  a  pipe  passing  through  the  side  or 
bottom  of  the  vessel,  and  discharged,  after 
having  done  its  work,  through  another  pipe,  at 
or  near  the  load  water-line.  Both  of  these  pipes 
can  be  closed  at  the  ship's  side  by  valves  called, 
respectively,  the  "  injection  valve"  and  the  "  out 
board  delivery  valve."  A  branch  suction-pipe, 
controlled  by  a  valve,  leads  to  the  bilge,  afford 
ing  powerful  means  of  freeing  the  vessel  of 
water  in  cases  of  extraordinary  leakage.  See 
CONDENSER. 

Circummeridian  (Lat.  circum,  about).  About 
or  near  the  meridian.  Circummeridian  altitudes 
are  taken  when  the  body  is  near  the  meridian. 
See  ALTITUDE. 

Circumnavigate.  To  sail  round;  to  pass  around 
by  water. 

Circumpolar.     Situated  about  the  pole. 

Cirripedia.  A  group  of  marine  animals,  allied 
to  the  Crustacea.  They  are  free  and  natatory 
when  young,  but  in  the  adult  state  attached  to 
rocks  or  some  floating  substance.  They  are  pro 
tected  by  a  multivalve  shell,  and  have  long  cili 
ated  curled  tentacles,  whence  their  name  (curl- 
footed}.  The  barnacles  (Lepas)  and  the  acorn- 
shells  (Balanus)  are  familiar  examples. 

Cirro-cumulus.    See  CLOUD. 

Cirro-stratus.     See  CLOUD. 

Cirrus.     See  CLOUD. 

Cisco.  A  fish  of  the  herring  kind,  of  which 
thousands  of  barrels  are  annually  taken  and 
salted  in  Lake  Ontario. 

Cit.     A  citizen. 

CITS.     Citizen's  clothing. 

Citizen.    In  the  United  States,  a  person,  native 

or  naturalized,  who  has  the  privilege  of  voting 

for  public  officers,  and  who  is  qualified  to  fill 

offices  in  the  gift  of  the  people.     (See  ALIEN, 

NATURALIZATION.)     The  word  is  often  used  to 

distinguish  a  person  engaged  in  civil  pursuits 

from  members  of  the  military  and  naval  services. 

City  of  Masts.     A  name  applied  to  London 

in  allusion  to  the  magnitude  of  its  commerce. 


Civil.  The  civil  time,  day,  year,  is  that  reck 
oning  which  is  adopted  for  the  social  purposes 
of  life.  See  TIME,  DAY,  YEAR. 

Civil  Engineer.     See  ENGINEER,  CIVIL. 
Civil  Lord  (Eng.).      The  junior  member  of 
the  admiralty  board. 

Civil  War.  A  war  between  subjects  of  the 
same  realm,  or  between  factions  of  the  same 
state. 

Civita  Vecchia.  A  seaport  city  of  Italy,  on 
the  Mediterranean,  38  miles  by  rail  W.N.W.  of 
Rome.  Pop.  11,640.  The  port,  which  owes  its 
origin  to  the  Emperor  Trajan,  is  one  of  the  best 
in  Central  Italy.  Two  large  moles  form  the 
harbor,  and  a  breakwater  outside  protects  the 
shipping  from  heavy  seas;  a  light-house  is 
erected  on  its  southern  end.  Lat.  42°  5'  N. ; 
Ion.  11°  45'  E.  The  harbor  has  depth  of  water 
for  vessels  of  400  or  500  tons,  and  ships  of  greater 
draft  may  anchor  inside  the  breakwater.  The 
city  has  regular  steam  communication  with  the 
chief  Mediterranean  ports. 

Clake.  A  name  for  the  barnacle  goose  (Anser 
bernicla],  and  also  for  the  Lepas  anatifera,  a 
cirriped  often  found  attached  to  vessels  or  tim 
ber  by  a  long  fleshy  peduncle. 

Clam.  A  well-known  bivalve  shell-fish  of 
different  genera ;  as,  the  Venus  mercenaria,  the 
Mya  arenaria,  and  others.  As  happy  as  a  clam 
at  high  water,  a  figurative  expression  for  indolent 
comfort. 

Clamber.     To  ascend  ;  to  climb. 

Clamps.  The  strakes  of  plank  on  which  the 
deck-beams  rest. 

CLAMP-NAILS.   Nails  used  to  fasten  the  clamps. 

Clang.     The  rattling  and  clashing  of  arms. 

Clap.  A  burst  of  sound  ;  as,  a  clap  of  thunder. 

CLAPPER.     The  tongue  of  a  bell. 

Clap-match.  A  sort  of  seal  distinct  from  the 
fur-seal. 

Clap  On.  To  clap  on  to  a  rope  is  to  lay  hold 
of  it  in  order  to  haul  upon  it.  To  clap  on  a 
stopper  is  to  put  on  a  stopper  ;  stop  talking.  To 
clap  on  canvas,  to  make  more  sail. 

Clap-sill.     The  lockage  of  a  flood-gate. 

Clark,  Ezra  W.,  Chief  of  U.  S.  Revenue 
Marine.  Born  at  Granville,  Licking  Co.,  O.,  in 
1839,  his  father  being  Rev.  Ezra  W.  Clark,  for 
about  forty  years  a  clergyman  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in'Ohio.  After  receiving  a  rudimentary 
education  he  was,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
apprenticed  to  the  printing  business.  Having 
acquired  this  trade  he  was  prepared  for  college 
at  Lima,  N.  Y.  Subsequently  he  pursued  the 
study  of  Mathematics  with  Prof.  Aaron  Schuy- 
ler,  president  of  Berea  College,  0.  He  attended 
college  at  Otterbien  University,  in  Ohio.  He 
studied  law  with  Hon.  John  K.  Hord,  of  Tiffin, 
O.  In  April,  1861,  he  entered  the  Union  army, 
and  was  a  private  soldier  and  subsequently  a 
captain  in  the  8th  Regiment  Ohio  Vols.  Later, 
he  was  adjutant  of  the  34th  Ohio  infantry ;  was 
appointed  assistant  adjutant-general  of  volun 
teers  by  President  Lincoln  in  1863;  served  as 
such  in  the  army  of  West  Virginia,  and  was 
assistant  adjutant-general  of  a  cavalry  division 
under  Gens.  Hunter  and  Sheridan  in  the  cam 
paigns  of  1864.  He  was  afterwards  transferred 
to  the  staff  of  Maj.-Gen.  W.  S.  Hancock,  and 
became  assistant  adjutant-general  of  the  Mid 
dle  Military  Grand  Division,  headquarters  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  and  was  transferred  to  Bal- 


CLARTY 


132 


CLASSIFICATION 


timore  with  Gen.  Hancock  when  the  latter  as 
sumed  command  of  the  Middle  Department.  In 
the  beginning  of  1866,  the  war  heing  over,  he 
left  the  army  and  entered  the  legal  profession. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  after 
wards  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  In  1871  he  was  appointed  assist 
ant  chief  of  the  revenue  marine,  and,  with  Mr. 
S.  I.  Kimball,  participated  in  the  reorganiza 
tion  of  the  revenue  marine  service  and  the  life- 
saving  service.  He  was  appointed  chief  of  the 
revenue  marine  July  1,  1878.  In  addition  to  his 
duties  in  charge  of  this  bureau,  he  is  a  mem 
ber  of  the  examining  board  of  the  Treasury  De 
partment,  to  examine  applicants  for  admission 
and  promotion  to  clerkships  in  the  Department ; 
also  a  member  of  the  board  designated  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to  consider  all  matters 
pertaining  to  Alaska. 

Clarty.     Wet;  slippery;  dirty;  sticky. 
Clary,  Albert  G.,  Commodore  U.S.N.     Born 
in  Massachusetts.     Appointed,  1832  ;  attached  to 
sloop  "  Vincennes,"  Pacific  Squadron,  1834-36; 
Naval  School,  New  York,  1837. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  July  8, 1839 ; 
sloop  "Marion,"  Brazil  Squadron,  1839-42;  re 
ceiving-ship,  Boston,  1843-45. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant,  April  11,  1845; 
sloop  "  Preble,"  Home  Squadron,  during  the  war 
with  Mexico,  at  Tuspan  and  Tabasco;  sloop 
"  Preble,"  Pacific  Squadron,  1847-50 ;  receiving- 
ship,  Boston,  1852;  sloop  "Marion,"  coast  of 
Africa,  1853;  frigate  "Constitution,"  coast  of 
Africa,  1854-55;  navy-yard,  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
1856-57  ;  steam-frigate  "  Minnesota,"  East  India 
Squadron,  1858-59;  steam-frigate  "Colorado," 
1861 ;  commanding  steamer  "  Anacostia,"  Poto 
mac  Flotilla,  1861 ;  engagement  at  Acquia  Creek, 
May  31  and  June  1,  1861 ;  battle  of  Port  Royal, 
November  7,  1861. 

Commissioned  as  commander,  July  16,  1862 ; 
commanding  steamer  "  Mount  Vernon,"  North 
Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron,  1862;  command 
ing  steamer  "Tioga,"  West  India  Squadron, 
1863;  commanding  steam-sloop  "Dacotah," 
North  Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron,  1864; 
commanding  steam-sloop  "Seminole,"  West 
Gulf  Blockading  Squadron,  1864-65  ;  command 
ing  receiving-ship,  Norfolk,  1866. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  November  21,  1866  ; 
commanding    "Dictator,"    1870-72.      Commis 
sioned  as  commodore,  1873  ;  retired,  1874. 
Clashy.     Showery. 

Clasp-hook.    A  clip-hook  (which  see). 
Class.     A  group  of  objects,  animate  or  inani 
mate,  which  possess  common  characteristics.     A 
number  of  students  of  the  same  standing,  or 
who  are  pursuing  the  same  studies. 

Classification  of  Men-of-War.  First-rates 
will  comprise  steamships  of  4000  tons  displace 
ment  and  upward ;  ironclad  steamers  of  300C 
tons  measurement  and  upward;  ships-of-the- 
line  commissioned  for  sea-service. 

Second-rates  will  comprise  steamships  of  200( 
to  4000  tons  displacement ;  ironclad  steamers  of 
2000  to  3000  tons  measurement;  frigates  (sail 
ing)  commissioned  for  sea-service. 

Third-rates  will  comprise  steamships  of  900  t 
2000  tons   displacement;    ironclad   steamers  of 
1200  to  2000  tons  measurement ;  sloops-of-wa: 
(sailing)  commissioned  for  sea-service. 


st  Class. 


2d  Class. 
3d  Class. 


French 
Veritas. 
3.3  1.1 

5.61.1 


Fourth-rates  will  comprise  steamships  below 
500  tons  displacement,  dispatch- vessels,  and 
tore-ships. 

Whenever  a  vessel  is  commissioned  as  a  re- 
ieiving-ship,  her  rate  will  be  decided  by  the 
tfavy  Department. 

Classification  of  Merchant-vessels. 

American      British 

Lloyd's.  Lloyd's. 

1st  Grade  1st  Class.    A  1  A  1 
2d      "            "              Al- 

3d      "            "              A  \y,  " 

1st  Grade  2d  Class..    A  l]Z-  A  1  (in  red)     5.6  2.1 

2d      "            "              A  2  *JE  I  (in  red)    "    " 

1st  Grade  3d  Class..    A  2-  2&  1                  3.4  2.1 

2d      "                            A.  2\^>  -ZE  2                   2.3  2.2 

The  degrees  of  first  and  second  class  will 
mply  confidence  for  the  transportation  of  per 
ishable  cargoes  on  long  voyages.  The  degrees 
of  third  class  will  not  imply  confidence  for  the 
conveyance  of  cargoes  in  their  nature  subject  to 
sea  damage. 

The  classification  of  shipping  depends  upon 
the  quality  and  dimensions  of  materials  used, 
the  equalization  of  strength  in  their  distribution 
in  scarfs,  laps,  and  butts,  with  mode  and  extent 
of  fastening.  Model  and  manner  of  construction 
must  accord  with  the  best  practice  of  ship-build 
ing,  for  all  grades.  The  sparring  must  be  in 
good  proportion,  and  all  equipments  efficient. 

The  frame,  head,  and  heels  of  timber  must  be 
square,  and  free  from  sap  or  decay ;  the  timber 
well  seasoned,  salted  or  pickled  when  in  pro 
gress  of  construction  ;  ventilation  preserved  fore 
and  aft ;  and  a  water-course  made  on  under  side 
of  floors  to  admit  the  water  to  the  pumps. 

The  frames  must  be  of  white  oak,  the  principal 
timbers  of  live-oak  or  other  timber  of  equal  du 
rability,  and  the  tops  of  frames  mixed  with  red 
cedar,  hackmatack,  locust,  or  white-heart  chest 
nut.  The  butts  must  be  distributed  out  of  line ; 
the  timber  scarfs  not  less  than  4  feet  6  inches 
long;  the  floor  timbers  extending  well  towards 
the  ends  of  the  ship;  the  heels  of  the  cants 
stepped  in  the  dead-wood  and  bolted  through 
with  copper ;  the  wing  and  main  transom  well 
kneed  and  connected  to  the  frames. 

The  keel  must  be  sided  of  sufficient  size  to 
admit  of  twice  the  thickness  of  the  outside  plank 
between  rabbets  on  stem  and  stern-post,  the  rab 
bets  to  extend  as  far  as  practicable,  to  admit  of 
fastening  the  wood  ends  thereto.  The  heel  of 
stem  must  be  a  crook,  and  stepped  in  a  hooked 
scarf  on  the  keel,  and  not  less  than  3  feet  6 
inches  long.  The  stern-post  must  also  be  stepped 
in  the  keel. 

Natural  crooks  are  preferred  for  rising  floors 
and  second  futtocks.  The  siding  of  timbers  must 
be  in  proportion  from  floor-heads  to  heads  of 
top-timbers ;  the  distance  at  centres  for  all  ves 
sels  of  800  tons  and  under  must  not  be  over  26 
inches,  and  vessels  over  that  tonnage  not  over 
30  inches. 

The  keelson  must  be  sided  not  less  than  size 
of  keel,  and  the  scarfs  not  less  than  7  feet  long ; 
if  single  keelson,  the  shifts  of  scarfs  to  be  at 
least  one-third  the  length  of  the  stick  from  the 
end  of  the  scarf  of  the  keel.  In  rider  keelson  the 
scarfs  must  not  be  less  than  six  feet  long ;  assist 
ant  keelson,  if  adopted,  to  be  well  bolted  to  first 
futtocks  and  to  main  keelson.  The  scarfs  must 
be  distributed  so  as  not  to  be  under  the  heel  of  a 
mast. 

The  beams  must  be  of  oak  or  yellow  pine  of 


CLASSIFICATION 


133 


CLASSIFICATION 


sufficient  size  and  6  feet  from  centres,  except 
for  hatchways,  and  securely  fastened  to  the  side 
by  knees  carefully  fitted  to  the  timber,  natural 
crooks.  The  lodge-  and  bosom-knees  must  be 
of  oak  or  hackmatack.  Seasoned  oak  or  hackma 
tack  is  preferred  for  hanging-knees ;  vessels  of 
200  tons  are  required  to  have  a  hanging-knee  of 
wood  or  iron  under  each  end  of  each  alternate 
beam  ;  if  over  200  tons,  to  have  a  hanging-knee 
under  each  beam,  the  arms  of  good  length,  not 
less  than  3  feet  6  inches ;  the  knees  to  be  fas 
tened  with  through  bolts  driven  from  outside 
and  clinched  overlings,  in  addition  to  the  blunt 
bolts  driven  from  the  inside,  and  each  hanging 
knee  must  be  keyed  to  the  beam. 

The  breasthooks  and  pointers  must  be  square- 
fastened,  one-third  of  the  bolts  driven  from  the 
outside  through  the  timbers  and  clinched  over 
rings  on  the  inside,  and  all  blunt  bolts  must  be 
driven  within  one  inch  of  through.  Copper  or 
composition  bolts  must  be  driven  through  the 
apron  and  inner  stern-post  not  over  20  inches 
apart  and  clinched  over  rings  of  the  same  mate 
rial  on  the  outside.  Copper  or  composition  bolts 
must  be  driven  through  the  dead-wood  20  inches 
apart,  passing  through  the  heels  and  scarfs  of 
stern  and  stern-post  and  clinched  over  rings  on 
the  outside  and  lower  side  of  keel. 

Spar-deck  water-ways  must  be  fayed  to  the 
beams  and  timbers,  the  scarfs  vertical,  and  at 
least  three  planks  next  the  water-way  must  be 
one  inch  thicker  than  the  adjoining  plank,  and 
alternately  let  one  inch  into  and  one  inch  over 
the  beams  and  carlines,  the  edge  bolted  through 
water-ways  and  timbers,  and  clinched.  The  main 
and  inner  water-ways  on  lower  decks  must  be 
cogged  to  the  beams  with  locust,  bolted  through 
each  beam  and  clinched,  and  bolted  from  outside 
through  each  timber  and  clinched  over  rings. 
The  clamps  and  inside  planking  must  be  of  good 
length,  the  clamp-scarfs  to  be  hooked  or  keyed, 
arranged  to  suit  the  timbers,  and  in  length  not 
less  than  five  times  the  length  of  the  plank.  The 
ceiling  must  be  of  good  quality,  the  butts  prop 
erly  shifted,  the  whole  square- fastened,  and  the 
edges  beveled  to  good  calking  seams.  In  all 
cases  the  nibs  of  the  butt-scarfs  must  be  one- 
third  the  width  of  the  planks,  and  reach  the 
frame  forward  and  abaft  of  their  centres. 

The  outside  planking  must  be  of  white  oak  or 
yellow  pine,  and  fit  closely  to  each  other  on  the 
inside.  The  garboard  streaks  must  be,  at  least, 
from  3  to  1J  inches  thicker  than  the  rest  of  the 
covering.  No  butts  in  any  part  of  the  planking 
must  be  nearer  than  5  feet  of  each  other,  un 
less  there  be  a  streak  wrought  between  them, 
when  a  distance  of  4  feet  will"  be  the  minimum  ; 
all  butts  on  the  same  timber  must  have  3  streaks 
between.  Vessels  under  200  tons  are  exempt 
from  the  full  operation  of  this  rule. 

Deck-planks  must  be  of  white  or  yellow  pine 
of  best  quality,  and  not  less  than  30  feet  in 
length ;  no  planks  to  be  over  5J  inches  wide  and 
3  inches  thick,  and  fastened  with  two  copper 
spikes  in  the  butt  of  each  plank  ;  rail-scarfs  must 
be  hooked  or  keyed,  and  in  length  5  times  their 
width.  Stanchions  under  deck-beams  must  be 
of  oak  or  pitch-pine. 

Garboards,  first  and  second,  must  be  bolted  to 
the  floors  with  copper  or  composition  driven 
through  each  frame  and  clinched,  and  edge 
bolted  through  keel  and  each  other  in  addition 


to  treenailing.  All  bolts  going  into  the  timber 
must  be  driven  within  one  inch  of  through,  and 
the  plank,  well  wrought  to  the  timbers  with 
copper  or  composition  spikes,  must  be  square- 
fastened  with  locust  treenails  of  best  quality 
driven  through  and  wedged,  outside  and  in ; 
when  the  plank  is  6  inches  wide,  then  to  be  tree- 
nailed  single  and  double  in  each  frame;  when 
10  inches,  to  be  square-treenailed.  Each  plank 
must  be  fastened  with  at  least  one  headed  copper 
or  composition  bolt  driven  through  the  first 
frame  and  aft  the  butt,  and  clinched  over  rings 
on  the  inside  of  ceiling. 

Each  alternate  floor  must  be  fastened  to  the 
keel  with  a  copper  bolt  driven  from  above  and 
clinched  on  the  under  side  of  the  keel.  The  inter 
mediate  floors  must  be  fastened  with  a  copper  bolt 
driven  through  the  main  keelson  and  clinched 
on  the  under  side  of  the  keel.  If  a  "  rider  keel 
son"  is  added,  it  must  be  fastened  with  one  iron 
bolt  in  each  floor  through  the  rider  to  within 
one  inch  of  the  lower  part  of  the  keel.  The  ver 
tical  bolting  in  the  assistant  keelsons  to  be  driven 
through  the  first  futtocks. 

In  calking,  the  seams  must  be  well  filled  with 
oakum  thread,  50  feet  to  the  pound,  and  at  least 
one  thread  to  each  half-inch  of  the  thickness  of 
the  plank. 

Ships  exceeding  5  times  their  breadth  in  length 
should  be  iron  strapped  diagonally. 

The  timber  used  in  all  vessels  must  be  free 
from  sap  and  decay.  The  stem  above  the  fore 
foot  must  be  of  one  piece,  or  if  scarfed,  the  scarf 
must  be  above  light-water  line.  Stern-post 
must  be  of  one  piece.  Scarfs  of  keel  not  to  be 
under  a  mast.  Bilge  streaks  to  correspond  to 
tonnage.  Vessels  of  800  tons  and  over  should 
have  a  heavy  stringer  under  the  lower  knees. 

Channel-bolts  must  be  driven  through  the 
frames  and  ceiling  and  clinched  or  keyed.  The 
partial  fastenings  of  ceiling  and  outside  planking 
must  be  complete  before  the  treenail  holes  are 
bored,  and  care  should  be  taken  not  to  split  the 
plank  in  driving  the  treenails.  The  pumps  of 
vessels  must  correspond  to  their  tonnage,  and  be 
so  distributed  that  they  may  free  the  ship  from 
water  at  any  time  or  inclination  ;  the  pump-well 
must  be  accessible  at  all  times.  Vessels  when 
wormed  will  not  be  classed  until  defects  are  re 
moved.  All  vessels  must  have  anchors,  cables, 
boats,  compasses,  charts,  leads,  lead-lines,  etc. 
Vessels  trading  to  ports  beyond  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  or  Cape  Horn  must  have  two  suits 
of  courses,  topsails,  jibs,  spankers,  and  fore-top 
mast  stay-sails,  and  be  metal  sheathed  within  one 
foot  of  load-line.  Other  vessels*  should  carry  a 
spare  topsail  and  fore-topmast  stay-sail. 

Vessels  having  two  decks  should  have  scup 
pers  through  the  water-ways  of  lower  deck.  Ves 
sels  transporting  dry  cargoes  should  have  their 
masts  coated.  Vessels  over-sparred  or  deficient 
will  not  receive  classification.  Vessels  whose 
bowsprits  step  below  the  spar-deck,  or  whose 
hawse-holes  are  cut  below  the  spar-deck,  are 
subjected  to  a  lower  classification. 

New  vessels  are  to  be  surveyed  while  building 
at  the  following  stages  :  when  the  keel  and  keel 
son  are  united  ;  when  the  frame  is  raised  and  the 
keelson  in  ;  when  the  deck  frames  are  complete  ; 
when  treenailed  and  butt  and  bilge  bolted  ;  when 
masted  and  fully  equipped.  When  old  vessels 
are  examined  for  classification  particular  atten- 


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134 


CLASSIFICATION 


tion  is  directed  to  the  state  of  the  upper  and 
main  deck  and  coamings ;  the  upper  and  lower 
deck  bolts  ;  the  knees,  beams,  plank-shears,  and 
water-ways  ;  the  hawse  timbers,  breast-hooks, 
aprons,  transoms,  floor,  and  keelsons;  the  rudder, 
keel,  windlass,  planking,  and  treenails;  the 
frame  exposed,  and  inner  surface  of  planking. 
A  listing  should  be  taken  out  of  the  ceiling 
above  flopr-heads  ;  also,  a  short  plank  taken  out 
uiider  each  tuck,  and  at  such  other  places  as  may 
seem  necessary.  The  sheer  and  general  line  of 
the  ship,  and  the  condition  of  the  oakum  and 
calking,  are  examined. 

Requirements  for  Grades  of  Classification. — 
Vessels  properly  constructed  and  equipped  class 
A  1  for  12  years ;  if  opened  and  bored  at  the 
expiration  of  that  term  and  found  sound,  the 
class  is  continued  for  such  a  period  as  the  sur 
veyors  may  determine. 

When  vessels  are  built  with  floors  of  oak,  birch, 
and  beech,  futtocks  and  top-timber  of  oak  and 
hackmatack,  covering  of  oak,  scantlings  of  good 
size,  and  materials  and  workmanship  first-class, 
they  will  receive  the  A  1  class  9  years,  at  the  ex 
piration  of  which,  if  found  sound,  the  class  will 
be  continued  for  3  years. 

When  vessels  are  built  of  mixed  woods,  such 
as  birch,  beech,  elm,  hackmatack,  fir,  pine,  hem 
lock,  spruce,  etc.,  the  treenails  through  ceiling 
and  wedged  outside  and  in,  with  butt  bolts  in 
plank,  and  all  other  parts  fastened  sufficiently, 
and  deck  frames  secured  by  lodge-  and  hanging- 
knees,  they  will  receive  class  A  1  8  years. 

Ships  with  depth  of  hold  exceeding  23  feet  will 
be  required  to  have  orlop-beams,  secured  with 
horizontal  and  hanging  knees ;  when  exceed 
ing  25  feet,  to  have  three  full  decks.  Single- 
decked  vessels,  with  depth  of  hold  exceeding  12 
feet,  to  have  partner-beams  and  secured  with 
knees  and  masts  wedged  in  partners. 

Single-decked  vessels,  when  built  of  standard 
materials,  with  depth  of  hold  not  exceeding  11 
feet,  the  fastenings  in  accordance  with  the  rules 
set  forth,  will  receive  the  same  class  as  double- 
decked  vessels;  when  built  of  other  materials, 
they  will  be  classed  in  accordance  with  quality 
of  materials  and  construction. 

Centre-board  vessels  of  superior  construction, 
with  oak  frames  and  coverings,  all  fastenings 
first-class,  moderately  sparred,  and  the  centre 
board  trunk  well  secured,  will  class  A  7  years ; 
when  built  inferior  to  this  grade,  they  will  be 
classed  in  accordance  with  quality  of  build. 

Vessels  having  their  centre-boards  taken  out 
will  be  required  to  have  the  floor  timbers  run 
across  to  meet  the  second  futtocks,  and  chocks 
put  in  to  meet  the  first  futtocks. 

When  vessels  are  rebuilt  or  thoroughly  re 
paired,  they  will  bo  restored  to  original  character 
if  the  materials  used  are  equal  to  the  original. 

IRON  VESSELS.  The  classification  of  iron  ves 
sels  depends  on  the  quality  of  iron,  mode  of  con 
struction,  dimensions  of  plating,  frames,  and 
angle-iron,  the  distribution  of  scarfs  and  butts, 
etc. 

Neither  steam-  nor  sailing-vessels  must  ex 
ceed  seven  times  their  breadth  in  length ;  the 
latter  to  have  two  bulkheads,  and  the  former  not 
less  than  four,  and  secured  with  angle-iron  equal 
in  size  to  that  of  frames  ;  the  distance  of  frames 
at  centres  must  not  exceed  20  inches. 

The  keel,  stern,  and  stern-post  must  be  of  solid 


iron,  the  scarfs  to  be  in  length  eight  times  the 
thickness  of  the  material.  Propeller-posts  are 
required  to  be  in  thickness  double  that  of  keel, 
and  to  taper  off  along  the  line  of  keel ;  the  whole 
to  be  well  united. 

Floor-plates  must  be  fitted  closely  to  the  keel, 
riveted  to  every  frame,  and  extend  across  the 
stern-post  and  above  the  bilges,  that  the  sides 
may  be  properly  connected.  The  depths  of 
plate  must  be  one-twelfth  the  depth  of  hold, 
measured  from  top  of  keelson  to  upper  deck 
beams ;  and  a  water-course  to  be  preserved  to 
admit  the  water  to  the  pumps.  A  reduction  in 
size  of  plates  will  be  allowed  towards  the  ends  of 
the  vessel. 

The  keelson  must  be  two-thirds  the  depth  of 
floor-plates,  and  extend  to  stem  and  stern-post, 
and  be  connected  thereto ;  the  butts  must  be 
properly  shifted,  well  fitted,  and  riveted  to  floor- 
plates.  Angle-iron  must  be  fitted  on  top  and 
bottom  of  vertical  plating,  and  riveted  to  the 
reversed  angle-iron  on  top  of  floors.  Additional 
keelsons  are  required  for  vessels  of  800  tons  or 
over. 

The  frames  must  be  of  the  greatest  possible 
length,  the  butts  well  shifted  and  fitted  closely 
to  the  keel.  The  frames,  if  welded,  must  be  per 
fect,  and  the  whole  strengthened  with  reverse 
angle-iron.  All  vessels  must  have  double  frames 
to  above  the  bilges. 

The  beams  must  be  one-quarter  of  an  inch  in 
depth  for  each  foot  of  length  of  midships  beam. 
The  angle-iron  must  be  of  good  size,  the  two 
sides  of  each  not  less  in  breadth  than  three- 
fourths  the  depth  of  beam-plate.  The  beams  to 
be  all  well  connected  to  the  frames  with  bracket 
ends  of  knee-plates  equal  in  thickness  to  beams, 
and  the  arms  to  be  three  times  the  depth  of 
beams. 

In  vessels  having  three  decks,  the  beams  must 
be  over  each  other,  and  stanchioned  where  prac 
ticable  ;  the  orlop-beams  must  be  fastened  to 
every  sixth  frame,  and  have  stringer-plates  and 
angle-iron. on  their  ends  fore  and  aft.  Vessels 
of  20  feet  depth  must  have  the  same  number 
of  hold  and  deck  beams.  A  depth  of  hold  of  16 
feet  must  have  beams  to  every  fourth  frame,  and 
secured  with  knee-plates  and  to  stringer-plate  at 
under  side. 

All  vessels  must  have  stringer-plates  on  each 
tier  of  beams,  connected  at  ends  with  angle-iron, 
and  also  to  frames  and  outside  planking.  The 
clamps  must  be  equal  in  dimensions  to  the 
stringers,  and  riveted  to  each  frame.  The  tie- 
plates  must  be  well  riveted  to  each  other,  and  to 
beams,  hooks,  and  transoms,  and  the  butts  well 
shifted.  When  the  deck  arrangement  will  admit 
of  it,  all  vessels  are  to  have  diagonal  tie-plates. 
The  hatchways,  mast-holes,  and  partners  must 
be  strongly  framed  and  secured  with  angle-irons 
and  carlines. 

All  butts  must  be  double  riveted,  and  the 
plating  closely  fitted  to  the  frames  and  to  each 
other,  and  no  plate  less  in  length  than  5  spaces 
of  frames ;  a  reduction  in  length  and  size  of 
plating  will  be  allowed  toward  the  hood  ends. 
The  edges  and  butts  must  be  well  fitted  and 
water-tight,  the  butts  well  supported  to  receive 
the  plating,  and  united  by  straps  of  the  same 
thickness  as  the  plating,  with  the  fibres  of  each 
in  the  same  direction.  The  frame  must  have 
solid  filling  or  lining  pieces,  closely  fitted  in  one 


CLAW  OFF 


135 


CLEVELAND 


length  of  the  same  breath  as  frames.  In  screw- 
vessels  no  reduction  in  plating  towards  the  ends 
is  allowed. 

Rivets  must  be  of  the  best  quality  of  iron,  the 
rivet-holes  equally  spaced  and  carefully  punched, 
and  to  be  countersunk  through  the  outer  plating. 
The  rivets  must  be  at  least  their  diameter  from 
the  edge  of  plating,  lining  pieces,  or  any  angle- 
irons,  and  distant  from  each  other  4  times  their 
diameter ;  all  edges  of  horizontal  joints  of  out 
side  plating  must  be  double-riveted  throughout. 

The  main  piece  of  the  rudder  must  be  of 
wrought  iron.  The  ceiling  must  be  of  a  superior 
quality,  in  thickness  from  2  to  3  inches,  and 
secured  so  as  to  be  detached  when  required. 

The  decks  and  water-ways  must  be  equal  in 
thickness  to  wooden  vessels  of  corresponding 
tonnage,  and  fastened  with  screw-bolts  two  in 
each  plank,  in  every  beam,  the  water-ways  fas 
tened  with  screw-bolts,  and  secured  at  under  side 
of  stringers. 

Bulkheads  must  be  made  water-tight  where 
ties,  stringers,  or  screw-shafts  pass  through, 
closely  fitted  between  two  frames  at  each  side, 
and  riveted  through  them,  the  whole  well  sup 
ported  by  angle-irons  30  inches  apart,  and  riv 
eted  together  and  to  the  floors,  beams,  and 
frames,  etc.  A  pump  must  be  fitted  to  each 
compartment.  Iron  vessels  are  required  to  have 
the  same  equipments  as  wooden  vessels  of  cor 
responding  tonnage. 

STEAM-VESSELS.  The  classification  of  steam- 
vessels  depends  on  the  construction  of  the  hull 
and  the  character  and  condition  of  machinery. 

In  the  construction  no  departure  from  .the 
standard  rules  will  be  admitted.  The  scantlings 
and  dimensions  must  be  regulated  in  proportion 
to  capacity,  to  insure  longitudinal  strength. 
The  floor  must  be  filled  in  solid  as  high  up  as 
the  turn  of  the  bilge.  The  frame  must  be  diagon 
ally  iron  strapped  from  the  floor-heads  to  the 
upper  deck  beams,  and  bolted  to  each  timber ;  and 
when  double  laid,  riveted  in  each  timber  room. 

There  must  be  water-tight  bulkheads,  30  to  50 
feet  from  stem  and  stern,  to  reach  at  least  two 
feet  above  deep  load-line,  which  must  be  well 
secured  to  strong  stanchions  on  the  after-side. 
Steam- vessels  engaged  in  the  transportation  of 

Cjengers  are  required  to  have  sufficient  life- 
ts.  Steam-vessels  navigating  the  ocean  or 
coast,  are  required  to  have  a  sufficient  spread  of 
canvas  to  make  a  port  in  case  of  derangement 
of  machinery.  All  steam- vessels'  bottoms  are  to 
be  examined  annually,  and  are  required  to  be 
opened  for  inspection  at  the  expiration  of  5  years, 
to  ascertain  the  condition  of  their  frame. 

Sea-going  steamers  of  standard  construction, 
and  having  sufficient  canvas  to  make  port  in 
case  the  machinery  is  disabled,  rate  A  1*. 

Sea-going  steamers  with  but  little  canvas, 
rate  A  1. 

Steamers  constructed  for  navigating  sounds, 
lakes,  and  rivers,  rate  A  1  to  A  2. 

Claw  Off.  To  work  to  windward  from  a  lee 
shore ;  particularly  when  the  operation  is  per 
formed  under  difficult  circumstances. 

Clayborne,  William.  A  surveyor  by  pro 
fession.  Authorized  by  the  rulers  of  Virginia 
to  discover  the  limits  of  Chesapeake  Bay,  he 
pursued  his  investigation  with  great  ardor  be 
tween  the  34th  and  41st  degrees  of  latitude,  in 
1625.  A  company  having  obtained  the  royal 


license  to  trade  with  the  Indians,  Clayborne  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  an  expedition,  and  leaving 
England  with  a  number  of  persons  disposed  to 
settle  in  Virginia  under  his  government,  he 
planted  a  colony  on  Kent  Island,  in  Chesapeake 
Bay. 

Cleaching  Net.  A  hand-net  with  a  hoop  and 
bar,  used  by  fishermen. 

Clean.  Free  from  danger ;  as,  a  clean  coast, 
a  clean  harbor,  etc.  In  general  parlance  it 
means  quite,  entirely. 

CLEAN  BILL  OF  HEALTH.  See  BILL  OF 
HEALTH. 

CLEAN  DONE.  Adroitly  tricked ;  purpose 
well  effected. 

CLEAN-FULL.     Rap  full ;  applied  to  the  sails. 

CLEAN  OFF  THE  REEL.  When  the  ship  is 
going  so  fast  as  to  take  the  log-line  off  the  reel 
without  its  being  fed  to  her,  she  takes  the  line 
clean  off  the  reel.  The  expression  is  used  for 
anything  that  is  done  without  stop  or  hindrance. 

CLEAN  SHIP.  A  whale-ship  unfortunate  in 
her  trip,  having  no  fish  nor  oil. 

Clear.  A  word  applied  to  many  different  ob 
jects,  and  its  signification  is  generally  opposed 
to  foul.  To  clear  a  rock,  vessel,  or  point,  to  get 
by  it  without  touching.  To  clear  a  time-glass, 
to  let  all  the  sand  run  out  of  one  end.  To  clear 
a  rope,  to  remove  any  obstruction  to  its  running 
freely.  To  clear  a  lighter,  to  discharge  its  cargo. 
To  clear  goods,  to  pay  duties  and  go  through  the 
formalities  required  by  the  custom-house  officials. 
To  clear  is  to  present  the  proper  documents  and 
receive  permission  of  the  proper  authorities  to 
sail.  To  clear  the  decks  is  to  send  or  drive  the 
men  off  from  them.  To  clear  up  the  decks  is  to 
lay  up  the  ropes  and  put  everything  in  its  place. 
The  weather  clears  up  when  the  clouds  break 
away,  and  there  is  a  prospect  of  a  return  of  fine 
weather.  To  clear  away  a  rope  is  to  let  go  the 
end  of  it.  To  clear  for  action,  to  prepare  for 
battle.  To  clear  the  land,  to  gain  such  a  distance 
from  the  land  as  to  have  plenty  of  sea-room. 

CLEARANCE.  A  document  from  the  custom 
house  certifying  that  the  ship  has  cleared ;  per 
mission  to  sail. 

CLEARING  THE  DISTANCE.  The  operation  of 
deducing  the  true  from  the  apparent  lunar  dis 
tance. 

CLEAR  WATER.  Water  free  from  obstruc 
tions,  as  ice,  rocks,  etc. 

Cleat.  A  piece  of  wood  or  metal  bolted  to  the 
side  or  deck  to  which  a  rope  is  belayed.  Cleat  is 
also  the  name  given  to  a  wedge-like  piece  of 
wood  nailed  on  a  spar  to  keep  the  rigging  from 
slipping  in  or  down.  To  cleat  an  object  is  to 
nail  cleats  against  it  to  keep  it  from  slipping. 

Clench.     See  CLINCH. 

Clerk.  A  civilian  appointed  by  the  officer 
who  is  entitled  to  his  services  ;  as,  captain's  and 
paymaster's  clerk.  He  is  required  to  be  at  least 
18  years  old,  and  to  serve  until  regularly  dis 
charged.  A  clerk  is  a  steerage  officer,  but  the 
captain's  clerk  sometimes  messed  with  the  com 
manding  officer,  in  which  case  he  was  not  en 
titled  to  quarters  in  the  steerage.  The  com 
manding  officer  is  not  now  entitled  to  a  clerk, 
his  di  ties  being  performed  by  one  of  the  junior 
officers  attached  to  the  vessel. 

Cleveland,  a  port  of  entry  and  second  city  of 
Ohio,  is  situated  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake 
Erie,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  River, 


CLEW 


136 


GLITZ 


which  flows  through  the  city,  affording  a  fine 
sheltered  harbor,  to  which  has  been  added  a 
commodious  ship-channel  200  feet  wide,  flanked 
by  two  piers  extending  1200  feet  into  the  lake. 
A  harbor  of  refuge,  commenced  in  1878,  is  also 
in  course  of  construction  by  the  U.  S.  govern 
ment,  extending  from  a  point  northerly  from 
the  west  pier,  and  running  west  by  south  to  the 
lake-shore.  The  work  is  under  the  supervision 
of  an  army  engineer,  and  is  estimated  to  cost 
$1,800,000.  Lat.  41°  30'  5"  N. ;  Ion.  81°  42/  6" 
W.  Pop.  160,000. 

Clew.  The  combination  of  nettles  by  which 
a  hammock  is  suspended.  The  ordinary  clews 
are  plaited  for  a  short  distance  below  the  ring 
or  eye ;  Spanish  clevis  are  served  without  being 
plaited ;  triangular  spans  and  iron  rings  have 
been  used  to  give  spread  to  hammocks,  but  they 
do  not  give  satisfaction.  One  of  the  lower  cor 
ners  of  a  square-sail,  or  the  after  lower  corner  of 
a  fore-and-aft  sail.  From  clew  to  earing,  liter 
ally,  the  diagonal  of  a  square-sail ;  figuratively, 
from  top  to  bottom  ;  entirely  ;  as,  to  shift  one's 
clothes  from  clew  to  earing.  A  clew  up,  a  case 
of  despair.  To  clew  down,  to  haul  on  the  clew 
lines  and  force  a  yard  down.  To  clew  up,  to  run 
the  clews  of  a  sail  up  to  the  yard. 

CLEW-CRINGLE.  A, cringle  in  the  clew  of  a 
sail  to  which  the  sheet  is  bent.  In  our  service 
clew-irons,  or  spectacle-irons,  are  used  instead  of 
rope  cringles. 

CLEW-GARNET.  A  rope  by  which  the  clews 
of  the  courses  are  run  up  to  the  lower  yards. 

CLEW-GARNET  BLOCK.  A  large,  single,  iron- 
bound  block  at  the  slings  of  the  lower  yards,  to 
act  as  a  leader  for  the  clew-garnet.  Also  the 
block  at  the  clew  of  the  sail  through  which  the 
clew-garnet  reeves. 

CLEW-IRON.  The  iron  shackle  in  the  clew 
of  a  sail  to  which  the  sheet  is  bent.  The 
iron  is  galvanized,  and  has  two  eyes  with  thim 
bles  inserted  ;  the  round  shape  of  the  iron  and 
the  position  of  the  two  eyes  give  it  the  appear 
ance  of  a  pair  of  spectacles;  hence  the  name 
spectacle-iron,  which  is  sometimes  applied  to  it. 
The  objection  which  is  sometimes  made  to  the 
use  of  clew-irons  is  that  they  may  iron-mold  the 
canvas.  They  are  stronger  than  rope  and  when 
galvanized  do  not  rust  for  a  long  time,  and  when 
the  sail  is  worn  out  they  may  be  galvanized 
afresh  and  put  in  a  new  sail.  They  are  univer 
sally  used  in  the  navy. 

CLEW-JIGGER.  A  temporary  purchase  for 
hauling  up  the  clews  of  courses  and  topsails 
forward  of  and  above  the  yard ;  they  are  not 
used  at  sea.  The  fore  clew-jigger  is  also  used  as 
the  inner  halliards  of  the  lower  stun'sail,  and 
both  fore  and  main  clew-jiggers  are  used  as  reef- 
tackles. 

CLEW-LINE.  A  rope  by  which  the  clews  of 
all  square-sails  except  courses  are  run  up  to  their 
yards. 

CLEW-LINE  BLOCK.  The  block  at  the  clew 
of  a  topsail  through  which  the  clew-line  reeves. 
Formerly,  the  quarter-block  was  called  a  clew 
line  block. 

CLEW-ROPE.    The  roping  at  the  clew  of  a  sail. 
A  rope  leading  from  the  clew  of  a  trysail  to  the 
jaws  of  the  gaff. 
Click.     A  small  pawl. 

Cliff.  A  precipitous  termination  of  the  land. 
See  CRAG. 


Clinch.  A  kind  of  hitch,  in  which  the  end 
of  a  rope  is  taken  around  the  standing  part  and 
seized  to  its  own  part.  In  the  inner  clinch  the 
end  is  inside  of  the  other  part,  and  in  the  outer 
clinch  the  end  part  is  outside.  The  seizings  are 
called  bends.  To  clinch  a  rope  is  to  secure  the 
end  of  it  by  means  of  a  clinch.  To  clinch  a  bolt 
is  to  rivet  the  end  of  it  over  a  ring  or  plate.  To 
clinch  a  bargain  is  to  settle  it  beyond  further  dis 
pute. 

CLINCH-BOLT.  A  bolt,  the  end  of  which  is 
turned  over  by  hammering. 

CLINCHER.     An  incontrovertible  argument. 

CLINCH-NAILS.  Nails  made  of  malleable 
metal,  as  copper,  wrought  iron,  etc.,  whose 
ends  may  be  turned  back. 

Clinch-built.     See  CLINKER-BUILT. 

Clincher-built.     See  CLINKER-BUILT. 

Clincher-work.     See  CLINKER-WORK. 

Clinker-built.  A  term  to  denote  that  the 
planks  of  a  boat  overlap.  When  the  plates  of 
iron  vessels  overlap  they  are  distinguished  as 
lap-jointed.  See  CLINKER- WORK. 

Clinker-work.  Lap-jointed  work.  A  mode 
of  building  in  which  the  lower  edge  of  each 
plank  laps  over  the  upper  edge  of  the  plank  next 
below.  This  method  of  building  is  employed  in 
boats  of  light  construction,  and  sometimes  in  iron 
ships. 

Clinton,  George,  Admiral.  Governor  of  New 
York,  September,  1743-October,  1753.  Died 
governor  of  Newfoundland,  July  10,  1761. 
Youngest  son  of  Francis,  sixth  earl  of  Lincoln. 
Appointed  commodore  and  governor  of  New 
foundland,  1732.  Subsequently  appointed  gov 
ernor  of  New  York.  His  want  of  skill  in  civil 
affairs  peculiarly  exposed  him  to  the  tumults  and 
commotions  of  colonial  government.  In  his 
controversies  with  the  assembly  Golden,  after 
wards  lieutenant-governor,  was  his  champion 
with  the  pen ;  his  chief  opponent  being  Horse- 
mander.  Clinton  afterwards  became  governor 
of  Greenwich  hospital ;  in  1745  became  vice- 
admiral  of  the  red,  and  admiral  of  the  fleet  in 
1757. 

Clip-hook.  A  hook  composed  of  two  parts 
moving  on  the  same  pivot.  When  hooked  and 
moused  these  two  parts  form  a  solid  hook,  and 
cannot  beseparated  until  the  mousing  is  removed. 

Clipper.  A  long,  low,  sharp,  fast-sailing 
ship. 

CLIPPER-BUILT.  Built  on  the  model  of  a 
clipper. 

'  Glitz,  John  M.  B.,  Rear-Admiral  U.S.N. 
Born  in  New  York,  March  10, 1823.  Appointed 
from  Michigan,  August  12,  1837 ;  attached  to 
sloop  "Ontario,"  West  India  Squadron,  1838- 
42;  Naval  School,  Philadelphia,  1843. 

Promoted  to  passed  midshipman,  June  29, 
1843;  sloop  "  St.  Mary's,"  Mediterranean  Squad 
ron,  1844-45;  sloop  "  Falmouth,"  Home  Squad 
ron,  1845-46  ;  bomb-brig  "  Hecla,"  Home  Squad 
ron,  1847;  capitulation  of  castle  of  San  Juan 
d'Ulloa  and  capture  of  Tuspan ;  steamer  "  Pe- 
trita,"  Home  Squadron,  1847-48  ;  frigate  "  Cum 
berland,"  Mediterranean  Squadron,  1849-51. 

Commissioned  as  lieutenant,  April  6,  1851; 
Coast  Survey,  1851-52;  steam-frigate  u  Missis 
sippi,"  East'  India  Squadron,  1852-55;  special 
duty,  Washington,  1856;  sloop  "Decatur,"  Pa 
cific  Squadron,  1858-59;  steam-sloop  "  Iro- 
quois,"  1861. 


CLIYE 


137 


CLOUD 


Commissioned  as  commander,  July  16,  1862 ; 
commanding  steamer  "  Penobscot,"  North  At 
lantic  Blockading  Squadron,  1863  ;  commanding 
steam-sloop  "Juniata,"  East  Gulf  Blockading 
Squadron,  1863;  commanding  steamer  "Osce- 
ola,"  North  Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron, 
1864-65  ;  at  both  attacks  on  Fort  Fisher ;  navy- 
yard,  Boston,  1866. 

Commissioned  as  captain,  July  25,  1866  ;  com 
manding  steam-sloop  "  Pawnee,"  South  Atlantic 
Squadron,  1868-69;  ordnance  duty,  navy-yard, 
New  York,  1870;  commanding  "California" 
(second-rate),  Pacific  Fleet,  1870-72. 

Commissioned  as  commodore,  December  28, 
1872 ;  commanding  naval  station,  Port  Royal, 
S.  C.,  1876-77;  light-house  inspector,  1878-80; 
commissioned  as  rear-admiral,  1880;  under  or 
ders  to  command  East  India  Squadron. 

Clive.     An  old  spelling  of  cliff. 

Clock,  Astronomical.  A  pendulum  clock  of 
superior  construction  and  specially  adapted  for 
astronomical  observations.  It  is  adjusted  to 
show  sidereal  time,  and  indicates  Oh  Om  0s  when 
the  first  point  of  Aries  is  on  the  meridian.  It  is 
regulated  by  observing  with  a  transit  instrument 
the  meridian  passage  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 
The  astronomical  clock  furnishes  the  best  means 
of  rating  a  chronometer. 

CLOCK,  MEAN  SOLAR.  A  clock  which  indi 
cates  mean  solar  or  civil  time.  See  TIME. 

CLOCK,  SIDEREAL.  A  clock  which  indicates 
sidereal  time.  See  TIME. 

CLOCK-STARS.  A  name  for  the  nautical  stars 
(which  see). 

Clock-calm.  Dead  calm ;  not  a  breath  of 
air  stirring. 

Clod-hopper.     A  clownish  landsman. 

Close.     Near.     To  draw  near. 

CLOSE  ABOARD.     Near  the  ship. 

CLOSE  BUTT.  A  shipwright's  definition  of  a 
close  butt  is,  a  butt  of  a  half-way  piece  either  in 
the  outside  planking  or  the  deck  of  a  vessel,  not 
intended  to  be  calked.  Before  this  piece  is  put 
into  position  the  seams  and  the  butts  of  the  said 
half-way  pieces  are  made  tight  or  close  for  ap 
pearance  only. 

The  calker's  definition  of  a  close  butt  is,  one 
that  cannot  be  properly  calked  without  cutting, 
whereas  a  proper  open  butt  involves  no  extra 
expense,  and  leaves  a  smooth  edge  for  the  forma 
tion  of  a  perfect  oakum  wedge. 

CLOSED  PORT.  An  interdicted  or  blockaded 
port. 

CLOSE-FIGHTS.     See  CLOSE-QUARTERS. 

CLOSE-FISTED.     Stingy ;  penurious. 

CLOSE  HARBOR.  An  artificial  harbor  with  an 
entrance  which  may  be  opened  and  closed  at  will. 

CLOSE-HAULED.  The  situation  of  a  ship  when 
her  yards  are  braced  up  sharp  and  she  is  sailing 
as  close  to  the  wind  as  possible.  The  after-yards 
should  be  braced  in  a  little  more  than  the  head- 
yards,  and  the  upper  yards  a  little  more  than  the 
one  next  below,  in  order  that  the  after-sails  may 
lift  before  the  sails  on  the  fore,  and  the  light 
sails  before  the  courses  and  top?ails.  The  helms 
man  steers  by  the  weather-leech  of  the  upper  sail 
on  the  main. 

CLOSE  PACK.     See  PACK-ICE. 

CLOSE  PORT.  A  port  which  lies  up  a  river,  in 
contradistinction  to  an  out-port. 

CLOSE-QUARTERS,  or  CLOSE-FIGHTS.  In  olden 
times  heavy  bulkheads  or  barricades,  fitted  with 


loop-holes,  were  erected,  and  the  crew  retreated 
to  this  place  when  they  were  unable  to  drive  the 
enemy's  boarders  back.  The  fight  was  then 
carried  on  from  inside  the  barricade.  The  term, 
which  was  then  confined  to  these  hand-to-hand 
combats,  is  now  applied  to  a  fight  at  short  range 
between  ships. 

CLOSE-REEF.     The  last  reef  in  a  sail. 

CLOSE-SIGHT.  The  notch  in  the  base-ring  of 
old  guns. 

CLOSE  TO  THE  WIND.  As  near  the  wind  as 
possible  without  causing  the  sails  to  lift. 

CLOSE  WITH.  To  approach  ;  as,  to  close  with 
an  enemy. 

Cloth.  A  general  term  for  the  sails  of  a  ship. 
Canvas  is  wove  in  cloths  or  breadths,  and  the 
width  of  a  sail  is  denoted  by  the  number  of 
cloths  it  contains. 

CLOTH  IN  THE  WIND.  Too  near  the  wind ; 
sails  lifting.  Also,  half  intoxicated. 

Clothed.  The  lower  masts  are  said  to  be 
clothed  when  the  courses  have  a  great  deal  of 
drop.  A  ship  is  clothed  with  canvas  when  she  is 
carrying  all  sail. 

Clothes-line.  A  system  of  parallel  lines  on 
wnich  the  men's  washed  clothes  are  stopped  to 
dry.  The  harbor-lines  extend  from  the  bowsprit 
to  the  spanker-boom,  and  are  triced  well  up  to 
the  lower  yards.  The  sea-lines  extend  from'  the 
main  to  the  mizzen  rigging. 

Clothing.  The  rigging  of  the  bowsprit.  To 
clothe  the  bowsprit,  to  rig  it. 

Cloud.  Clouds  are  masses  of  visible  vapor  or 
watery  particles  suspended  in  the  atmosphere.  A 
cloud,  motionless  or  nearly  so,  lying  at  or  near 
the  surface  of  the  earth,  receives  the  name  of 
haze,  mist,  or  fog,  according  to  its  density.  The 
term  scud  is  applied  to  loose  vapory  fragments 
of  clouds  driven  by  the  wind. 

The  formation  and  height  of  clouds  vary  with 
the  amount  of  vapor  in  the  air,  the  course  and 
height  of  air-currents,  the  climate,  season,  tem 
perature,  extent  of  sea  and  land,  and  the  height 
of  the  land.  Cloud-strata  in  mountains  vary 
from  1600  to  3400  feet.  Remarkable  cloud-rings 
prevail  over  the  calm  zones  of  the  equator,  and 
over  those  of  the  tropics  of  Cancer  and  Capri 
corn.  Kaemtz  regards  the  usual  height  of  cir 
rus  to  be  10,000  to  24,000  feet ;  cumulus,  3000 
to  10,000;  nimbus,  1500  to  5000;  but  cirrus 
may  descend  to  2000  or  3000  feet,  and  nimbus 
to  within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  the  earth. 

Clouds  moderate  the  sun's  rays  during  the  day 
and  the  earth's  radiation  at  night;  they  are  the 
source  of  moisture  required  by  plants ;  of  the 
water  for  springs,  lakes,  and  rivers ;  and  of  the 
polar,  glacial,  and  winter  snows. 

The  scale  adopted  for  indicating  the  amount 
of  cloud  is  0  to  10, — 0  denoting  a  clear  sky,  5,  a 
sky  half  covered,  and  10,  the  sky  overcast  or 
wholly  obscured. 

In  1802,  Howard  proposed  the  following  classi 
fication  of  clouds,  which  has  been  universally 
adopted :  cirrus,  cumulus,  stratus,  cirro-cumu 
lus,  cirro-stratus,  cumulo-stratus,  and  cumulo- 
cirro-stratus,  or  nimbus. 

Cirrus,  or  curl-cloud,  consists  of  streaks,  wisps, 
and  fibres.  It  is  the  highest  and  least  dense  of 
clouds ;  varies  most  in  extent  and  shape ;  retains 
longest  its  outlines ;  and  is  illuminated  longest 
after  sunset  and  before  sunrise.  Cirrus  seems  to 
arise  from  the  mixing  of  parallel  air-currents,  or 


CLOUD 


138 


CLUBS 


are  the  relics  of  dissolving  clouds  drawn  out  by 
the  wind.  Cirrus  being  so  high  must  consist  of 
minute  snow-crystals,  whose  refractions  and  re 
flections  produce  the  halos,  coronse,  and  mock 
suns  and  moons  almost  restricted  to  this  cloud, 
and  its  derivatives,  the  cirro-cumulus  and  cirro- 
stratus. 

Cumulus,  day-,  or  summer-cloud,  consists  of 
dense,  convex,  hemispherical,  or  conical  heaps 
of  cloud  piled  or  stacked  on  each  other.  Cumulus 
begins  after  sunrise  as  a  few  scattered  specks  in 
the  clear  sky  ;  these  specks  increase  and  unite  to 
form  clouds,  which  sometimes  cover  the  whole 
sky  in  the  afternoon,  and  generally  decrease  and 
vanish  about  sunset.  The  tops  of  these  clouds 
become  cirrus  in  very  dry  air. 

Stratus,  fall-,  or  night-cloud,  the  lowest  of 
clouds,  is  a  widely  extended  horizontal  sheet  of 
varied  thickness.  It  is  common  in  summer  and 
autumn  from  sunset  to  sunrise,  and  is  densest 
about  midnight.  After  sunrise  it  generally  rises 
from  the  ground,  breaks  up  into  cumulus,  and 
vanishes  with  the  increasing  heat;  sometimes 
it  accumulates  in  layers  and  becomes  nimbus. 
Stratus  does  not  wet  objects  which  it  touches, 
and  thus  differs  from  a  variety,  cirro-stratus,  Of 
like  external  aspect. 

Cirro-cumulus,  or  sonder-cloud,  is  composed 
of  well-defined,  small,  rounded  patches,  or 
woolly  irregular  tufts  at  great  heights.  It  often 
has  the  appearance  of  flocks  of  sheep  at  rest 
("  sheep  in  a  meadow"),  and  is  commonly  known 
as  the  "  mackerel  sky."  It  may  vanish  or  pass 
into  cirrus  or  cirro-stratus.  It  often  occurs  in 
warm  dry  weather. 

Cirro-stratus,  or  vane-cloud,  consists  of  long 
thin  layers  with  undulated  edges.  It  often  as 
sumes  a  barred  appearance,  or  resembles  a  shoal 
of  fish.  The  cloud  partakes  of  the  nature  of  the 
cirrus  and  stratus.  In  distinguishing  it,  atten 
tion  must  be  paid  not  so  much  to  the  form  as  to 
the  structure,  which  is  dense  in  the  middle  and 
thin  towards  the  edges. 

Cumulo-stratus,  or  t wain-cloud,  is  a  cirro- 
stratus  mixed  with  cumulus  heaps,  or  a  wide, 
flat  base  surmounted  by  a  bulky  cumulus  with 
fleecy  protuberances.  It  is  much  denser  than 
cumulus,  though  the  air  is  not  dry  enough  to 
round  off  sharply  its  tops.  It  often  forms  vast 
banks  with  overhanging  masses,  and  is  common 
towards  night  in  windy  weather,  when  it  has  a 
leaden  hue.  It  generally  arises  from  cumulus, 
and  tends  towards  nimbus. 

Nimbus,  or  cumulo-cirro-stratus,  the  rain- 
cloud,  is  a  mixed  system  of  clouds,  ending  in 
rain,  snow,  or  hail.  It  is  a  dense,  continuous, 
horizontal  block,  or  gray  sheet,  with  fringed 
edges,  a  cap  of  cirrus,  and  cumulus  on  the  sides 
and  below.  Before  rain,  vast  towering  masses  of 
cumulus  often  pass  on  to  cumulo-stratus,  which, 
increasing  in  density,  darkness,  and  extent,  be 
come  nimbus  capped  with  cirro-stratus. 

In  Admiral  Fitzroy's  system  there  are  four 
primary  classes  of  clouds,  viz. :  cirrus,  stratus, 
nimbus,  and  cumulus.  He  combines  these 
words  to  describe  the  intermediate  modifications, 
and  renders  the  terms  more  explanatory  by  the 
use  of  the  terminations  onus  and  itus;  as,  cirro- 
nus,  cirritus,  cirrono-stratus,  cirrito-stratus,  etc. 
See  WEATHER. 

CLOUDS,  MAGELLANIC.  Two  nebulae  situated 
near  the  south  pole. 


Clout.  A  blow.  A  gore  of  blood.  A  chaf- 
ing-plate  on  the  arm  of  the  axle  of  a  wooden 
gun-carriage. 

CLOUT-NAILS.  Nails  with  which  piles  and 
ships'  bottoms  were  studded  before  the  introduc 
tion  of  copper  sheathing. 

Clove-hitch.  Two  half  hitches,  in  which  the 
end  parts  come  out  parallel  with,  and  opposite 
to,  each  other. 

Clove-hook.    See  CLIP-HOOK. 

Cloy.     To  spike  (which  see). 

Club.  To  drift  down  a  current  with  an  anchor 
out.  Vessels  drifting  in  this  manner  generally 
have  a  spring  from  the  quarter  to  the  ring  of  the 
anchor,  by  which  they  can  be  sprung  broadside 
to  the  current.  The  objection  to  this  manoeuvre 
is  the  probability  of  fouling  the  anchor. 

To  club  a  feet  is  to  mano3uvre  so  as  to  place 
the  first  division  to  windward. 

Clubbock.  The  spotted  blenny,  or  gunnel 
((jrunellus  vulgar  is). 

Club-haul.  In  clawing  off  a  lee  shore  when 
there  is  no  room  to  wear,  and  therefore  an  abso 
lute  necessity  for  going  about  without  running 
the  risk  of  missing  stays,  the  ship  is  club-hauled. 
The  lee  anchor  is  got  ready  for  letting  go,  and  a 
hawser  is  bent  to  it  and  taken  to  the  lee  quarter. 
Proceed  as  in  tacking ;  if  she  goes  around,  so 
much  the  better.  If,  however,  it  is  evident  that 
she  will  not  go  round,  let  go  the  anchor  when 
the  headway  ceases,  and  brace  around  the  after- 
yards.  When  she  swings  to  the  anchor  the  wind 
will  be  ahead  or  perhaps  a  little  on  what  was  the 
lee  bow.  Haul  in  the  hawser  and  make  it  fast ; 
veer  chain,  and  when  the  hawser  has  the  strain, 
slip  the  cable;  when  the  after-sails  fill,  brace 
around  the  head-yards  and  cut  the  hawser.  This 
manoeuvre  is  attempted  only  when  absolutely 
necessary,  as  it  results  in  the  loss  of  an  anchor, 
and  a  part  of  a  cable  and  hawser. 

Clubs,  British  Service.  At  every  important 
naval  and  military  station  of  the  British  empire 
are  to  be  found  service  clubs,  whose  members 
are  officers  on  duty  at  those  places,  but  the  lead 
ing  British  service  clubs  are  in  London,  and  we 
give  them  according  to  their  date  of  formation. 

The  Guards  Club,  70  Pall-Mali,  was  founded 
in  1813  for  the  officers  of  'the  three  regiments  of 
Guards.  January  1, 1880,  it  contained  357  mem 
bers.  The  entrance  fee  1s  30  guineas,  and  the 
yearly  subscription  10  guineas. 

The  United  Service  Club,  116  Pali-Mall,  was 
founded  in  1815  for  senior  officers  of  the  army, 
navy,  and  marine  corps  ;  the  limit  is  major  in  the 
army  and  marines  and  commander  in  the  navy. 
January  1,  1880,  it  contained  1550  members. 
The  entrance  fee  is  £40,  and  the  yearly  subscrip 
tion  7  guineas. 

The  Junior  United  Service  Club,  Charles 
Street,  St.  James'  Square,  was  founded  in  18